''Izvestia'' ( rus, Известия, r=Izvestiya, p=ɪzˈvʲesʲtʲɪjə, "The News") is a daily

broadsheet A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long Vertical and horizontal, vertical pages, typically of in height. Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner (format), Berliner and Tabloid (newspaper ...

newspaper in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. Founded in February 1917, ''Izvestia'', which covered

foreign relations Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...

, was the organ of the

Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (SSUSSR) was the highest body of state authority of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991. Based on the principle of unified power, it was the only branch of government in the So ...

, disseminating official state propaganda. It is now described as a "national newspaper" of Russia. The word '' izvestiya'' in Russian means "bring news" or "tidings", "

herald A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms. Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen ...

" (an official messenger bringing news), derived from the verb ''izveshchat'' ("to inform", "to notify").

History

1917–1991

During the Soviet period, while ''

Pravda ''Pravda'' ( rus, Правда, p=ˈpravdə, a=Ru-правда.ogg, 'Truth') is a Russian broadsheet newspaper, and was the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, when it was one of the most in ...

'' served as the official mouthpiece of the Communist Party, ''Izvestia'' expressed the official views of the Soviet government as published by the

Presidium of the Supreme Soviet The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet () was the standing body of the highest organ of state power, highest body of state authority in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).The Presidium of the Soviet Union is, in short, the legislativ ...

of the USSR. Its full name was ''Izvestija Sovjetov Narodnyh Djeputatov SSSR'' (in Russian, ''Известия Советов народных депутатов СССР'', the ''Reports of Soviets of Peoples' Deputies of the USSR''). The Izvestia Trophy ice hockey tournament was named after the newspaper between 1969 and 1996. ''Nedelya'' was the weekend supplement of Izvestia.

1992–present

Following the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

, ''Izvestia'' now describes itself as a "national newspaper" of Russia. The newspaper was owned by a vast holding company of

Vladimir Potanin Vladimir Olegovich Potanin (; born 3 January 1961) is a Russian oligarch. He acquired his wealth notably through the controversial loans-for-shares program in Russia in the early to mid-1990s. As of May 7, 2025, Forbes ranked 81st richest in ...

which had close ties with the government. A controlling stake in ''Izvestia'' was purchased by state-owned

Gazprom PJSC Gazprom ( rus, Газпром, , ɡɐsˈprom) is a Russian State-owned enterprise, majority state-owned multinational Energy industry, energy corporation headquartered in the Lakhta Center in Saint Petersburg. The Gazprom name is a contract ...

on 3 June 2005, and included in the

Gazprom Media Gazprom-Media () is a Russian media holding company established in January 1998 as a subsidiary of Gazprom Media Holdings. It and its parent company are subsidiaries of Gazprom, a large Russian oil and gas company founded in 1989. The group owns ...

holding. According to the allegations of the

Committee to Protect Journalists The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in New York City, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists. The '' American Journalism ...

, Raf Shakirov, editor-in-chief of ''Izvestia'', was forced to resign because the government officials did not like the paper's coverage of the Beslan school hostage crisis. Other sources informed that Potanin had asked him to leave for fear the Kremlin would be riled by the explicit photographs of the massacre published by ''Izvestia''. As of 2005, the circulation of ''Izvestia'' was 240,967. Its 2007 circulation certified by TNS Gallup Media was 371,000 copies. Until his death on 1 October 2008, the chief artist was Boris Yefimov, the centenarian illustrator who had worked as

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

's political cartoonist. In 2008, Gazprom Media sold ''Izvestia'' to National Media Group. In May 2024, the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

accused the newspaper of spreading

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

and placed it on its sanctions list.

References

External links

*
Archives
of ''Izvestia'' (1951–1989) via .
Archives
of ''Pravda'' (1917–2024) via East View Global Press Archive.
Archives
of ''Izvestia'' (1917–2024) via Yandex Archive.
English translations of ''Izvestia'' articles at nonprofit WorldMeets.US

"Izvestia" digital archives in "Newspapers on the web and beyond"
the digital resource of the National Library of Russia {{DEFAULTSORT:Izvestia Newspapers published in the Soviet Union Russian-language newspapers published in Russia Eastern Bloc mass media Propaganda in the Soviet Union Gazprom subsidiaries Newspapers established in 1917 1917 establishments in Russia Newspapers published in the Russian Empire Newspapers published in Saint Petersburg Mass media in Moscow February Revolution

History

1917–1991

1992–present

See also

References

Further reading

External links