Argumenty i Fakty – State Media Monitor

Argumenty i Fakty, known as AiF, is a weekly socio-political newspaper headquartered in Moscow. Established in 1978 by the All-Union Organisation “Znanie” (“Knowledge”), it quickly evolved from a Soviet-era informational outlet for propagandists and lecturers into a widely circulated weekly available by subscription by 1980.

Media assets

Publishing: Argumenty i Fakty

State Media Matrix Typology

Ownership and governance

Still in private hands, Argumenty i Fakty has been under the umbrella of the Government of Moscow since acquiring ownership in 2014 from Promsvyazbank, a state entity.

Source of funding and budget

Media scholars and Russian insiders interviewed for this project in March 2023 and June 2024 report that the outlet continues to derive the lion’s share of its revenue from advertising.

Argumenty i Fakty, the company that publishes the weekly, reported in 2024 total revenues of RUB 1.55 billion (approximately USD 17.4 million, based on the 2024 average exchange rate) and a profit of RUB 95.02 million (around USD 1.07 million).

For access to the full dataset on the company’s finances and performance, please contact the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC).

Editorial independence

Over the course of the Ukraine war, Argumenty i Fakty’s editorial stance has visibly aligned with the Kremlin’s position. Content analyses conducted between March 2023 and May 2024 show a clear pattern: Western institutions and the Ukrainian military are mocked, while the Russian army is lauded.

A shift in tone, however, emerges in early 2025. Russian propagandists, including content in AiF, appear to have adopted a more measured portrayal of the US, strategically softening previous anti‑American rhetoric.

In March 2025, the EU’s External Action Service (EEAS) flagged that Argumenty i Fakty—among other outlets—was involved in spreading Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI)-linked narratives, especially through Telegram channels.

August 2025