Zvezda

Zvezda is a Russian federal military-patriotic television channel operating under the registered media name National Television Company ZVEZDA. It began broadcasting in Moscow on 20 February 2005 and subsequently acquired nationwide federal status. The channel is operated by AO Television and Radio Company of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Zvezda and forms part of the Krasnaya Zvezda media holding controlled through Russia’s Ministry of Defence.

Media assets

Television: Zvezda and Zvezda Plus

Radio: Radio Zvezda

Publishing: Publishing House Zvezda

Film and television production: Glavkino

Online: tvzvezda.ru and radiozvezda.ru

The television and radio services are operated by AO Television and Radio Company of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Zvezda. Publishing House Zvezda and Glavkino are separate assets within the wider Krasnaya Zvezda holding. The holding identified all five operations as current assets when announcing its new president in June 2026.

Zvezda is carried nationally as part of Russia’s second digital television multiplex. Zvezda Plus, launched in February 2021, is a thematic documentary channel distributed through cable and satellite networks.

Ownership and governance

Zvezda is operated by AO Television and Radio Company of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Zvezda, a non-public joint-stock company. Corporate-registration records identify AO Creative Association Krasnaya Zvezda as its managing organisation. The latter is the head company of the unified Krasnaya Zvezda media holding associated with the Ministry of Defence.

The institutional control exercised by the Ministry of Defence is independently documented. The European Union’s 2023 sanctions entry for the broadcasting company describes it as controlled by the Russian Ministry of Defence and financed by the Russian state.

Mikhail Polusmak has served as president of AO Creative Association Krasnaya Zvezda since June 2026. The company’s board elected him following the death on 23 April 2026 of Alexei Pimanov, who had led the holding since 2013. Polusmak previously managed Public Television of Primorye and headed the press service of the Primorye regional administration and governor.

Source of funding and budget

Zvezda receives substantial recurring support from the federal budget.

The direct subsidy to AO Television and Radio Company of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Zvezda amounted to approximately RUB 3.5 billion in 2024 and RUB 1.9463 billion in 2025. Federal budget legislation for 2026 to 2028 provides RUB 1.9838 billion annually across all three years. The allocation appears under the state programme Ensuring the Country’s Defence Capability.

Zvezda also benefits from a separate subsidy for broadcasters in Russia’s second digital multiplex, covering transmission by the Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network in settlements with populations below 100,000. Nine broadcasters share a combined RUB 1.6075 billion in 2026 and approximately RUB 703 million annually in 2027 and 2028. The budget does not itemise Zvezda’s individual share.

The latest publicly accessible company figures identified by State Media Monitor relate to 2021. They record revenue of approximately RUB 1.992 billion, cost of sales of RUB 4.885 billion and a net profit of approximately RUB 45.4 million. Published analysis placed total subsidies at up to RUB 2.9 billion that year, indicating that public support exceeded commercial revenue.

Editorial independence

Zvezda’s institutional purpose and editorial output are closely aligned with the political and military positions of the Russian state. The broadcaster is controlled through the Ministry of Defence and specialises in military, security, historical and patriotic programming.

The European Union placed the operating company under sanctions on 23 June 2023. Its legal designation states that Zvezda supports and promotes Russia’s armed forces and disseminates disinformation and propaganda concerning Russia’s war against Ukraine. The European Union has also suspended the broadcasting activities of Krasnaya Zvezda and Tvzvezda, listing them among Kremlin-backed disinformation outlets.

Experts and journalists interviewed by State Media Monitor in March 2023 and June 2024 likewise described the channel’s news and current-affairs output as consistently aligned with the Kremlin’s political and military narratives. State Media Monitor did not conduct a separate quantitative content analysis for this update.

No independent governing or enforcement body was identified at Zvezda capable of applying those protections against the state authority controlling the broadcaster.

AI and digital policy

Zvezda has used artificial intelligence in audience-facing political programming. In August 2025 it launched the weekly programme PolitUkladchik. Publicity supplied by the channel described artificial intelligence as selecting, analysing and commenting on the principal events of the preceding week. Episodes distributed through the channel’s official presence on Rutube were expressly described as having been created using artificial intelligence.

State Media Monitor could not identify a comprehensive published policy governing human verification, editorial accountability, model provenance, source disclosure or the labelling of other AI-assisted content.

Classification rationale

Zvezda remains classified State-Controlled Media (SC).

It is controlled and governed through the Russian Ministry of Defence. The television channel is operated by AO Television and Radio Company of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Zvezda, whose managing organisation is AO Creative Association Krasnaya Zvezda, the head company of the Ministry of Defence’s media holding. No independent supervisory body or protected executive-appointment procedure was identified.

It is substantially state-funded. The 2026 to 2028 federal budget provides a direct subsidy of approximately RUB 1.984 billion annually, alongside Zvezda’s unitemised share of separate second-multiplex distribution support. Earlier company figures show commercial revenue insufficient to cover operating costs without public support.

Its editorial agenda is aligned with the state. Its institutional remit centres on the armed forces and military-patriotic programming, while the European Union’s legal designation documents its role in supporting and promoting Russia’s military and disseminating state-aligned disinformation concerning the war in Ukraine. The formal protections of the Law on Mass Media are unsupported by independent governance or enforcement.

September 2026