Zvyazda Publishing House

Zvyazda is a state-owned daily newspaper in Belarus, whose roots stretch back to 1917 when it was founded as the official organ of the Minsk Committee of Russian Bolsheviks.


Media assets

Publishing: Zvyazda


State Media Matrix Typology

State-Controlled (SC)


Ownership and governance

Zvyazda is published by the Zvyazda Publishing House, a state-run enterprise born in November 2012 through the consolidation of the Literature and Art Publishing House and the original newspaper. It remains firmly under the thumb of the Ministry of Information, which retains sole authority over its top-tier management.

Following the political upheavals of 2020, Aliaksandr Karlyukevich, a former Minister of Information, took over the editorial reins, ensuring that Zvyazda remained aligned with the state narrative. However, in late 2024, President Aleksandr Lukashenko personally appointed Olga Anufriyeva as Director and Editor-in-Chief of the Zvyazda Publishing House, replacing Karlyukevich by presidential decree.


Source of funding and budget

The newspaper sails on the lifeblood of state financing, receiving generous subsidies from the national budget. It also brings home revenue through advertising, though the lion’s share of its financial nourishment originates from the government coffers.


Editorial independence

In terms of journalistic autonomy, Zvyazda remains a tightly controlled vessel. The editorial line mirrors the government’s narrative almost to a tee; content analysis conducted for this project in 2024 revealed a distinctly propagandistic thrust, with no sign of independent oversight or checks on its editorial independence.

There is no evidence that Zvyazda has a national statute or independent evaluation or oversight mechanism in place that would be a check on Zvyazda’s editorial independence.

August 2025