“Russia Silences Tabloid”

By Carl Schreck

The National (UAE)

"The fall of The eXile, which launched the career of Matt Taibbi, a political correspondent for Rolling Stone magazine, marks the end of perhaps the world's most unique publishing project."

"Irreverent mix of vicious humour, sharp political analysis and shameless hedonism"

"11 years of scorched-earth Gonzo journalism and taking down every sacred cow in sight"

"Sophomoric pranks on Russian government officials and western businessmen, savage criticism of western journalists covering Russia, and misogynistic club reviews informing male readers which clubs were optimal for finding overnight female companionship"

"The eXile once paid the handlers of Mikhail Gorbachev to convince the former Soviet leader to act as "Perestroika Co-ordinator" for the then-struggling New York Jets and give pep talks to the American football team".

Moscow newspaper which mocked the powerful closes

Reuters

The Exile's style of reporting blurred the line between comic and mainstream by tackling serious issues — crime, corruption, poverty and politics — with a harsh, jabbing humor. It also targeted Moscow's foreign community and Russians with practical jokes and stunts.

"Raucous Russian Paper Closes Amid Kremlin Scrutiny"

By Alan Cullison

Wall Street Journal

Ribald pranksters

The paper's club reviews advised which bars were frequented by violent thugs and which were popular with adventurous Russian women.

Michael McFaul, professor of political science and director of the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law at Stanford University, and a frequent target of attacks from the Exile, said he was “sorry to see the paper go” though he didn't always agree with its politics. The Exile frequently assailed Mr. McFaul for his 1970s-style haircut.

The Exile assailed Western academics and journalists, whom it accused in the 1990s of understating the misery caused by the free-market reforms of President Boris Yeltsin.

Russian Bureaucrats Smother the World's Best Alt-Weekly

Mother Jones

“Stormed into the Moscow bureau of The New York Times and threw a pie filled with equine sperm into the face of the bureau chief after accusing him of soft coverage of Russia's political elite.”