Russia media guide
- Published
Since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 nearly all independent media outlets in Russia have shut down, been forced to close, or have left the country to operate from exile.
Top state-controlled domestic TV channels have cleared their schedules for current affairs programmes spreading anti-Ukrainian, anti-Western material.
There appears to have been a halt to TV's long-term decline as Russians' most-preferred source of news
New laws have brought in terms of up to 15 years in prison for spreading "knowingly false" reports about the "special military operation" and the foreign activities of Russian state bodies
Meta was designated an "extremist organisation" and outlawed; the use of Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram is now permitted only if the user is not engaged in illegal activity.
Earlier, 2021 saw an unprecedented crackdown on independent and opposition media and journalists, with the increased use of controversial "foreign agent" and extremism laws, forcing journalists to leave the country.
Also that year, the Kremlin-linked insurance firm Sogaz and Gazprom-Media took control of the digital giant VK, which runs Russia's most popular social network.
The Kremlin's control over mass media in Russia, including online media, is near complete, and war and other foreign news-related content on popular Russian online platforms is broadly in line with the state's messaging.
There were 124 million internet users by July 2022, 85% of the population (Worldinternetstats.com).
Press
Komsomolskaya Pravda, external - mass circulation, pro-Kremlin tabloid
Kommersant, external - daily, business-orientated, controlled by steel tycoon Alisher Usmanov
Moskovsky Komsomolets, external - popular privately-owned Moscow daily
Izvestia, external - popular pro-Kremlin daily, owned by media holding NMG
Rossiyskaya Gazeta, external - government-owned daily
Nezavisimaya Gazeta, external - influential privately-owned daily
Argumenty i Fakty, external - popular weekly, owned by Promsvyazbank
Novaya Gazeta, external - publishes three times a week, known for its investigative journalism
RBC, external - business daily
Vedomosti, external - financial daily
Television
Rossiya 1, external - national network, run by state-owned Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK)
Channel One, external - national network, 51% owned by state, 49% by private shareholders
NTV, external - national network, owned by state-run Gazprom
Centre TV, external - owned by Moscow city government
Ren TV, external - Moscow-based commercial station with strong regional network, majority-owned by media holding NMG
RT, external - state-funded, international English-language news channel, via satellite
Radio
Radio Rossii, external - national network run by state-owned Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK)
Vesti FM, external - state-owned, news and talk
Ekho Moskvy, external - editorially-independent, majority owned by state-run Gazprom
Mayak, external - state-run national network
Russkoye Radio, external - major private network, music-based
News agencies/internet
TASS, external - state-owned news agency, pages in English
Interfax, external - private news agency, pages in English
Lenta.ru, external - popular online news source
The Moscow Times, external - English-language news site, successor to now defunct newspaper
Rambler.ru, external - major portal
Sputnik, external - state-run international-facing multimedia platform; services in many languages
Yandex.ru, external - leading search engine
VKontakte, external - leading social network