Izvestia
The News
Last updated
Izvestia, which translates to "The News," is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Russia. It began in February 1917 and originally focused on foreign relations.
During the Soviet era, it served as the official publication of the Supreme Soviet, spreading state propaganda. Today, the paper refers to itself as a "national newspaper" of Russia. The Russian word izvestiya means "bring news" or "herald," coming from the verb izveshchat, meaning "to inform" or "to notify."
Lore & Background
The word izvestiya in Russian means "bring news" or "tidings", "herald" (an official messenger bringing news), derived from the verb izveshchat ("to inform", "to notify"). During the Soviet period, while Pravda 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 of the USSR. The newspaper underwent several name changes from 1917 onward.
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Izvestia now describes itself as a "national newspaper" of Russia. The newspaper was owned by a vast holding company of Vladimir Potanin which had close ties with the government. A controlling stake in Izvestia was purchased by state-owned Gazprom on 3 June 2005, and included in the Gazprom Media holding.
According to the allegations of the Committee to Protect Journalists, 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's political cartoonist. In 2008, Gazprom Media sold Izvestia to National Media Group. In May 2024, the European Union accused the newspaper of spreading propaganda and placed it on its sanctions list.
Reader's Guide
The Izvestia Trophy ice hockey tournament was named after the newspaper between 1969 and 1996. Nedelya was the weekend supplement of Izvestia.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Izvestia's official role in the USSR?
During the Soviet period, Izvestia acted as the designated newspaper of the Supreme Soviet, the country's top legislative body. Its core function was to broadcast the government's official positions and state-directed messaging to the reading public.
How does Izvestia differ from Pravda?
Although both were major Soviet-era dailies, Izvestia represented the Supreme Soviet (the state government), while Pravda was the voice of the Communist Party itself. This institutional split meant their editorial mandates and allegiances were distinct.
What happened to Izvestia after the Soviet Union dissolved?
Following the breakup of the USSR, Izvestia rebranded itself as a 'national newspaper' of the Russian Federation. It shifted away from its strict state-propaganda role into a more independent broadsheet operating in the post-Soviet media landscape.
More in Magazines & Newspapers
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Izvestia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced