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Pravda.ru

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For other uses, see Pravda (disambiguation).
Pravda.ru
TypeOnline newspaper
Owner(s)Vadim Gorshenin
EditorInna Novikova
FoundedJanuary 27, 1999
(26 years ago) (1999-01-27)
Political alignmentRussian nationalismNeo-Sovietism
Language
  • Russian
  • English
  • Portuguese
  • French
HeadquartersStaraya Basmannaya Street, 16/2 Moscow, Russia
Websitepravda.ru

Pravda.ru (Russian: Правда.Ру, lit. 'truth'), formerly Pravda Online, is a Russian online newspaper established in 1999 and owned by Pravda.ru Holding headed by Vadim Gorshenin.[1]

History

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After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the oldest Soviet paper founded in 1912, Pravda, split into two different papers. Significant members of the main editorial staff (Viktor Afanasiev, Gennady Seleznev, Yuri Zhukov, Vera Tkachenko and Vadim Gorshenin) left Pravda to form the online news and opinion website Pravda Online.[2] Following a court case the Pravda name was allowed to be used by both the newspaper owned by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and Pravda Online run by journalists associated with the defunct Soviet Pravda.[3][4]

In November 2001, the Communist Party newspaper Pravda published a front-page article accusing Pravda.ru of unlawful use of the Pravda trademark and logo, spreading misinformation (including about CNN), and using images of Soviet medals. Pravda.ru filed a lawsuit in the Moscow Arbitration Court. In September 2002, the court ruled that the accusations were defamatory and unsubstantiated, confirming that Pravda.ru had not violated intellectual property or state symbol regulations. The Communist Pravda was ordered to publish a formal retraction and apology.[5][6][7] According to court findings, as later reported by Pravda.ru, the Pravda newspaper published since 1991 had no legal continuity with the Soviet-era Pravda.[5]

According to political analyst Stanislav Belkovsky, Pravda.ru is controlled by Konstantin Kostin and his wife Olga Kostina.[8] The same article notes, however, that Kostin's 2009 tax declaration listed no shares in Pravda.ru or in any other company.[9] The Russian politician Sergey Veremeenko also holds interests in Pravda.ru and Pravda International.[10] According to Russia’s official business registry, Pravda.ru is owned solely by its founder Vadim Gorshenin, who has remained the company’s only legal shareholder since its establishment in 1999.[11]

Pravda.ru was registered in November 1999 and has been published since January 27, 1999.[12] Pravda.ru also launched an English version (english.pravda.ru), a Portuguese version, as well as an Italian version.[13] The printed version was registered by the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Press, TV and Radio Broadcasting and Mass Communications on 17 November 2003.[14]

In a 2006 feature titled “Pravda without the Party”, published by Lenta.ru, the editorial team of Pravda.ru emphasized their independence from any political party and ideological alignment, noting their origins in a post-Soviet, pluralistic media landscape.[15]

Ownership and Structure

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Founder

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The website Pravda.ru is an internet publication registered in Russia. According to the information from Roskomnadzor, the founder is V. V. Gorchenin. In an interview in 2002, he described Pravda.ru as an independent platform created by former journalists who disagreed with working for the Communist Party of the Russian Federation's newspaper.[16]

Publisher

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The publisher of Pravda.ru is LLC "Pravda.Ru" (TIN 7714777126), registered in Moscow. The company specializes in news production through internet resources and the creation and distribution of informational content. The publishing project is managed by qualified specialists in media and new technologies.[17]

Advertising Support

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For monetization and advertising support, Pravda.ru operates with the company RIC Pravda (TIN 7726741242), which is responsible for organizing and placing advertising materials, ensuring a stable income from ads placed on the site.[18]

Technical Support

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The technical side of Pravda.ru is supported by Technomedia (TIN 7726413305), a company ensuring the stability and security of the website, as well as maintaining the site’s infrastructure.[19]


Editorial Policy and Author Composition

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Editorial Principles

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The editorial team of Pravda.ru openly publishes its key working principles, including the criteria for selecting news, approach to information verification, editorial independence, and principles of interaction with readers. These principles are available for public access on the official website of the publication.[20]

The website features an open authorship system: each journalist has a public personal page that reflects their biography, publication archive, and specialization.[21]

In 2004, the editor-in-chief of Pravda.ru, Inna Novikova, stated in an interview that the website had surpassed the Soviet-era Political News Agency in terms of influence.[22]

Author Composition

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For many years, the editorial board of Pravda.ru was headed by Soviet and Russian journalist, writer, and playwright Vladimir Gubarev — the author of the play "Sarcophagus," dedicated to the Chernobyl disaster. He was also the curator of the "Tea Party at the Academy" project (see below).

Among the notable authors who have collaborated with Pravda.ru are journalist and writer Vsevolod Ovchinnikov,[23] publicist and political observer Mikhail Domogatskikh,[24] writer Anatoly Salutskiy,[25] politician and publicist Viktor Ilyukhin,[26] and journalist Anatoly Baranov.[27]

Among current authors is special correspondent Darya Aslamova, formerly known as a war correspondent for Komsomolskaya Pravda. She covers conflicts and crisis situations in various regions of the world, both in video format and written articles.[28]

Scientific and Cultural Initiatives

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In the early 2000s, Pravda.ru launched the author project "Tea Parties at the Academy," curated by writer and journalist Vladimir Gubarev — a former journalist for the Soviet "Pravda" and author of the play "Sarcophagus," dedicated to the Chernobyl disaster.[29] Within the framework of the project, interviews were published with leading scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences, including Nobel laureates and experts in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and space.[30][31]

Interviews from this series were cited in educational and academic publications, including the State Polytechnic Museum publications,[32] the MEPhI repository,[33] and educational portals.[34][35]

The complete archive of interviews is available in the "Academy" section of the Pravda.ru website.[36]

International Publications and Pluralism of Opinions

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Pravda.ru regularly publishes materials by foreign authors with various viewpoints. Among them:

  • Senator John McCain — article "Russians deserve better than Putin" (2013), published in the English version of the website.[37]
  • Patrick Buchanan — article "Who gave mankind the gift of WMD?"[38]
  • Bashar Assad — interview titled "They want to overthrow me for my friendship with Russia".[39]
  • Kadri Jamil — Syrian Vice Prime Minister gives an interview to Pravda.ru about the situation in the Middle East.[40]
  • Richard Black — US Senator commenting on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.[41]
  • Ron Holland — Austrian school economist and financial strategist.[42]
  • Akhmat Kadyrov — interview from 2004, published in the English version of the website.[43]
  • Venkat Narayan — Indian journalist, author of the column "BRICS will replace dysfunctional UN".[44]

The editorial team noted that the publication of John McCain's article in 2013 was a challenge given the political climate in Russia.[45]

Counterarguments from the Editorial Team

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Criticism

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In 2004, the agency REGNUM characterized Pravda.ru as a "pioneer of Russian internet propaganda," noting its active involvement in information campaigns and high traffic to the site.[46]

The organization has been accused of supporting the Russian government's stance on various issues both domestically and internationally, as well as producing neo-Soviet, Russian nationalism news and direct conspiracy theories. However, no sources for such evaluations or references to opinion leaders or studies are provided.

Pravda.ru is known for its articles in tabloid style with sensationalist headlines (examples are based on the English version), such as:

  • "Aliens forced Americans out from the Moon,"[47]
  • "Time Machine Built in Europe, Russian Scientists Say,"[48]
  • "Time Can be Turned Back,"[49]
  • "Alien and human skulls found on Mars,"[50]
  • "Nuclear strike hits Yemen,"[51]
  • "Boriska, boy from Mars, says that all humans live eternally,"[52]
  • "Autotrophs: new kind of humans appears who neither drink nor eat,"[53]
  • "Nazi Germany achieved its technological advantage with aliens' help,"[54]
  • "The decision on Kyiv has been made: it will be destroyed so that the Russians don’t get it,"[55]

Counterarguments from the Editorial Team

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Representatives of the editorial team of Pravda.ru have repeatedly emphasized that publications in the English version of the website reflect a diversity of opinions and authorial approaches, rather than the position of the editorial team. A number of materials, criticized for sensationalism, were published in the opinion sections rather than news sections.

At the same time, similar publications with sensationalist headlines regularly appear in other international media — both in tabloids and in recognized respectable publications. The topics of alien life, time travel, and unexplained phenomena are discussed on the pages of leading global platforms:

"Aliens might be watching us. We might not know" — CNN, 2021;[56] "Aliens definitely exist and they could be living among us on Earth, says Britain’s first astronaut" — CNN, 2020;[57] "In photos: UFO sightings and alien phenomena" — CNN Photos, 2021;[58] "No longer in shadows, Pentagon’s U.F.O. unit will make some findings public" — The New York Times, 2020;[59] "U.S. Navy reveals videos of unexplained aerial phenomena" — The New York Times, 2020;[60] "Des scientifiques affirment que le temps peut reculer" — Le Parisien, 2019;[61] "Time traveller from 2030 passes lie detector test" — The Telegraph, 2018;[62] "Claims by people who say they can travel through time" — Telegrafi, 2021;[63] "US Navy pilot says UFO he saw had ‘no visible engine’" — NBC News, 2019;[64] "Leaked Navy video appears to show UFO off California coast" — NBC News, 2021;[65] Such publications, despite criticism, remain part of the modern media landscape. The practice of placing bright and even controversial headlines is typical for both mass-market and quality publications. This makes the discussion of Pravda.ru's "tabloidism" part of the broader debate about the boundaries of acceptability in modern digital journalism.

According to former State Duma deputy Boris Nadezhdin, Pravda.ru is a "pro-Kremlin website that constantly attacks the opposition." However, Boris Nadezhdin, after making this characterization, has repeatedly appeared as a newsmaker and invited expert on Pravda.ru, participated in live video broadcasts of the editorial team, and gave detailed interviews.[66]

Mentioned in Scientific and Institutional Sources

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Pravda.ru has been repeatedly mentioned in the materials of analytical and scientific organizations as an object of media environment monitoring.

In 2007, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) included Pravda.ru in its overview of Russian news resources, describing it as a "popular left-nationalist website".[67] Additionally, according to FAS itself, Pravda.ru was mentioned three times as a source in its Nuclear Information Project.[68]

The website Pravda.ru was also archived by the Library of Congress in its collection dedicated to the events of September 11, 2001, as one of the key international media outlets covering the events.[69]


McCain controversy

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In 2013, after Russian President Vladimir Putin published an op-ed in The New York Times in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,[70] US senator John McCain announced that he would publish a response article in Pravda, referring to the newspaper owned by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. McCain, however, eventually published his op-ed on Pravda.ru.[71] This caused protests from the editor of communist Pravda Boris Komotsky and a response from the editor of English.Pravda.ru Dmitry Sudakov: Komotsky claimed that "there is only one Pravda in Russia, it is the organ of the Communist Party, and we have heard nothing about the intentions of the Republican senator" and dismissed Pravda.ru as an "Oklahoma-City-Pravda", while Sudakov derided Komotsky, claiming that "the circulation of the Communist Party Pravda is like a factory newspaper of AvtoVAZ from the Soviet times".[72][73][74] McCain later attempted to publish his op-ed in the Communist Pravda as well, but the paper refused to publish it "because it was not aligned to the political positions of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation".[75]

Attitude towards Wikipedia and Use of Its Materials

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Pravda.ru is one of the few Russian media outlets that systematically use Wikipedia as a source of reference information. Since 2020, the editorial team has regularly included active hyperlinks to articles on Russian and English Wikipedia in materials related to history, science, medicine, geography, mythology, and technology.

According to internal estimates, by 2025, the total number of links to Wikipedia articles embedded in publications on Pravda.ru exceeds 15,000. The links are included in the body of the text and serve as supplementary expert or factual references. None of the largest Russian media outlets, including RIA Novosti, TASS, Kommersant, RT, Lenta.ru, and Gazeta.ru, use Wikipedia on a comparable scale.

In addition, Pravda.ru is one of the few Russian outlets that has systematically begun to adhere to Creative Commons rules when using images from the Wikimedia Commons media bank. In its materials, the publication cites the author's name, the exact license title, and the source link, and copyright information is also included in the structured data markup of the article.

Despite some critical remarks from the Wikipedia community and public criticism of Wikipedia itself, the editorial team of Pravda.ru apparently regards the project as an important open resource contributing to the dissemination of reliable knowledge.


References

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  1. ^ Lambroschini, Sophie (2003-11-04). "Russia: Pravda Versus Pravda: Which 'Truth' Will Prevail?". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 2020-10-17. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  2. ^ Gorshenin, Vadim (September 16, 2013). "There is no Pravda. There is Pravda.Ru". english.pravda.ru. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  3. ^ "Dear Senator McCain: Pravda.ru is not Pravda". National Review. 19 September 2013. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  4. ^ "ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA, Pravda: SOVIET NEWSPAPER". Archived from the original on 2020-07-11. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  5. ^ a b "Pravda sues Pravda". Retrieved 2002-11-21.
  6. ^ "Image of contested article". Retrieved 2002-11-21.
  7. ^ "Image of retraction court order". Retrieved 2002-11-21.
  8. ^ Называем Ходорковского серийным убийцей. gazeta.ru (in Russian). March 16, 2011. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  9. ^ "Называем Ходорковского серийным убийцей". Gazeta.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-06-05.
  10. ^ Duffy, Ryan (July 8, 2013). "Portrait of a Russian Oligarch". Vice. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  11. ^ "Правда.Ру, АО - реквизиты компании". Retrieved 2025-06-05.
  12. ^ ""Правда.ру" впервые изменила логотип". www.sostav.ru. Archived from the original on 2020-10-17. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  13. ^ "ESI MANUAL, THE RUSSIAN DEBATE ON THE SOUTH CAUCASUS: WHO IS WHO?" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-10-25. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  14. ^ "Ретро-новости: Microsoft Office 2000, "Правда.ру", Международный день без интернета". 3DNews - Daily Digital Digest (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2020-10-19. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  15. ^ "Правда без партии" (in Russian). Lenta.ru. 23 March 2006. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
  16. ^ Roskomnadzor — Information about registered media
  17. ^ Checko.ru — LLC "Pravda.Ru"
  18. ^ Checko.ru — RIC Pravda
  19. ^ Checko.ru — Technomedia
  20. ^ About Pravda.ru — Editorial Policy
  21. ^ Authors section on Pravda.ru
  22. ^ "PRAVDA.ru today has become stronger than the Soviet-era APN" — Komsomolskaya Pravda, 2004 Archived 2008-12-07 at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ Articles by Vsevolod Ovchinnikov on Pravda.ru
  24. ^ Articles by Mikhail Domogatskikh on Pravda.ru
  25. ^ Articles by Anatoly Salutskiy on Pravda.ru
  26. ^ Articles by Viktor Ilyukhin on Pravda.ru
  27. ^ Articles by Anatoly Baranov on Pravda.ru
  28. ^ Articles by Darya Aslamova on Pravda.ru
  29. ^ Author's page of Vladimir Gubarev on Pravda.ru
  30. ^ Academician Minkin: Chemistry of Dreams and Actions — Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences
  31. ^ Tea Parties at the Academy — Russian Academy of Sciences website
  32. ^ Science and Society: The Tea Series — Polytechnic Museum
  33. ^ MEPhI Repository
  34. ^ Steel Threads into the Future — Pedagogical Council
  35. ^ Mysteries of the Depths of the Universe — New Knowledge
  36. ^ "Academy" section on Pravda.ru
  37. ^ Senator John McCain: Russians deserve better than Putin
  38. ^ Patrick Buchanan: Who gave mankind the gift of WMD?
  39. ^ Bashar Assad: 'They want to overthrow me for my friendship with Russia'
  40. ^ Syrian Vice Prime Minister gives interview to Pravda.Ru
  41. ^ About Palestine: A short interview with Richard Black
  42. ^ Russia and USA play financial poker
  43. ^ The Situation in Chechnya is an Internal Issue of Russia and Chechnya
  44. ^ BRICS will replace dysfunctional UN – Indian journalist
  45. ^ There is no Pravda. There is Pravda.Ru
  46. ^ In whose interests does the pioneer of Russian internet propaganda work? — REGNUM, 2004 Archived 2008-04-27 at the Wayback Machine
  47. ^ "Aliens forced Americans out from the Moon". Pravda.ru. 2007-10-03. Archived from the original on 2016-10-21. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  48. ^ "Time Machine Built in Europe, Russian Scientists Say". Pravda.ru. 2010-08-06. Archived from the original on 2017-02-27. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  49. ^ "Time Can be Turned Back". Pravda.ru. 2004-03-01. Archived from the original on 2016-04-17. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  50. ^ "Alien and human skulls found on Mars". Pravda.ru. 2009-06-08. Archived from the original on 2017-07-21. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  51. ^ "Nuclear strike hits Yemen". Pravda.ru. 2015-05-29. Archived from the original on 2016-11-05. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  52. ^ "Boriska, boy from Mars, says that all humans live eternally". Pravda.ru. 2008-03-05. Archived from the original on 2016-11-02. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  53. ^ "Autotrophs: new kind of humans appears who neither drink nor eat". Pravda.ru. 2009-06-08. Archived from the original on 2016-11-05. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  54. ^ "Nazi Germany achieved its technological advantage with aliens' help". Pravda.ru. 2007-05-25. Archived from the original on 2016-11-25. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  55. ^ "The decision on Kyiv has been made: it will be destroyed so that the Russians don't get it". Pravda.ru. 2022-11-02. Archived from the original on 2022-11-05. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  56. ^ CNN — Aliens might be watching us
  57. ^ CNN — Helen Sharman: Aliens could be living among us
  58. ^ CNN — UFO sightings and alien phenomena
  59. ^ The New York Times — UFO findings
  60. ^ The New York Times — UAP Unit to reveal findings
  61. ^ Le Parisien — Le temps peut-il vraiment reculer?
  62. ^ The Telegraph (archive)
  63. ^ Telegrafi — Claims about time travel
  64. ^ NBC News — Navy pilot UFO
  65. ^ NBC News — Leaked UFO video
  66. ^ Pravda.ru archive of materials with Boris Nadezhdin
  67. ^ Federation of American Scientists — Russian Media Report, 2007
  68. ^ Nuclear Information Project in the News — FAS
  69. ^ Pravda.ru archived in 9/11 Web Archive — Library of Congress
  70. ^ Putin, Vladimir V. (2013-09-12). "Opinion | A Plea for Caution From Russia". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-12-09. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
  71. ^ McCain, John (2013-09-19). "Senator John McCain: Russians deserve better than Putin". Pravda.ru. Archived from the original on 2022-01-21.
  72. ^ Guardian Staff (2013-09-19). "Which Pravda did John McCain write about Syria for?". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
  73. ^ Sudakov, Dmitry (2013-09-16). "There is no Pravda. There is Pravda.Ru". Pravda.ru. Archived from the original on 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
  74. ^ "McCain claim leaves Communist Party baffled | eNCA". eNCA. Archived from the original on 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
  75. ^ Kopan, Tal (19 September 2013). "Truthfully, McCain in wrong Pravda". Politico. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015.
[edit]

www.pravda.ru (Russian)

English

port.pravda.ru (Portuguese)

French

German

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