Kabar
Kyrgyz National News Agency Kabar (Kyrgyz Uluttuk Maalymat Agenttigi, known simply as Kabar) is headquartered in Bishkek and holds the distinction of being the oldest and official state news agency in Kyrgyzstan. Its inception dates back to 1937, when it was established as the KyrTAG (Kyrgyz Telegraph Agency). Following Kyrgyzstan’s independence, the agency was renamed KyrgyzKabar in 1992. In 1995 it briefly became the Kyrgyz National Agency for Telecommunications and Information Administration (KNATI), and ultimately adopted its current title—Kyrgyz National News Agency Kabar—in 2001.
Media assets
News agency: Kabar
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
Kabar is state‑owned and structured as the central organ coordinating domestic and international information policy for the Kyrgyz Republic. . Senior leadership is appointed by the government. As of the most current sources, Mederbek Shermetaliev serves as the agency’s director, succeeding earlier leadership by Kubanichbek Tabaldiyev.
Source of funding and budget
Kabar receives the bulk of its budget through government funding, an arrangement confirmed by local journalists interviewed for this report as recently as December 2023, ensuring financial dependence on state allocations.
Editorial independence
Kabar’s editorial policy is tightly controlled by the government. Journalists interviewed for this report in December 2023 and March 2025 note that Kabar routinely avoids critical or dissenting coverage, favoring instead promotional and official narratives aligned with state priorities. No independent oversight or legal framework upholds editorial independence.
August 2025