The “entire staff” of a major Russian newspaper are at risk of reprisals after it disclosed the alleged abuse and killing of gay men in Chechnya, its editors said.

Novaya Gazeta, which has won plaudits for its independence from the Kremlin, warned that “religious fanatics” were being encouraged to “massacre journalists”.

Earlier this month, the paper reported that police in the Russian republic have rounded up more than 100 men suspected of homosexuality, leaving at least three dead.

The newspaper’s website briefly crashed on Thursday night, shortly after editors published a statement detailing the threat the paper faced, leading journalists to suspect it had fallen victim to a cyber attack.