Someone continues to mess with Novaya Gazeta. On October 17, a funeral wreath was delivered to the independent newspaper’s office with a note mentioning one of its reporters that read, “Denis Korotkov is a traitor to the Motherland.” A day later, somebody sent a basket containing a severed sheep's head and a sign that said, “To Novaya Gazeta’s chief editor. Greetings to you and Korotkov!”

“Someone ‘abandoned’ nine sheep at our newsroom. This time they're alive. We bought some cabbage for them. Now we're trying to think of names for them. Help us out!” Novaya Gazeta

On October 29, the latest “gift” appeared: three cages chained together, each holding three sheep, all dressed in vests labeled: PRESS: Novaya Gazeta.” Deposited outside the newspaper’s office, the building’s security officers discovered the animals and promptly called the police.

Denis Korotkov is known for his reports about Russian mercenaries fighting in Syria. He’s also written about vulnerabilities in the Defense Ministry's website, which he exploited to gain access to the personal data of Roman Filippov, a Russian pilot killed in action in Syria. All these reports appeared on the news website Fontanka, where Korotkov worked until this summer. He later joined the staff at Novaya Gazeta.

On October 22, Novaya Gazeta published a new article by Korotkov claiming that people associated with the Putin-connected catering industry oligarch Evgeny Prigozhin are responsible for attacking opposition activists and bloggers, as well as carrying out several murders and poisonings in different countries, including in Syria.