Rambler&Co – State Media Monitor

Rambler&Co is today the largest media holding in Russia by digital audience reach, attracting around 40% of RuNet users every month. The group’s media outlets aim to provide a “complete picture of the day,” offering prompt coverage of global events while adapting content across multiple digital platforms.

The holding encompasses some of Russia’s most prominent online media brands, including Lenta.ru, Gazeta.Ru, Championat, the Rambler portal, Afisha, and dozens of other digital assets. This portfolio makes Rambler&Co a central player in shaping Russia’s online information environment, both through its news coverage and its entertainment and lifestyle platforms.

Media assets

News portals: Lenta.ru, Gazeta.ru, Afisha, Championat, Secret Mag, Live Journal

State Media Matrix Typology

Ownership and governance

Rambler Media Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sberbank, Russia’s state-owned banking giant. Sberbank first entered the company in 2019, acquiring a 46% stake, and by 2020 had expanded its holding to 100% ownership, consolidating Rambler under its digital and e-commerce ecosystem.

For regulatory purposes, Rambler’s flagship outlets are registered under separate legal entities. For example, Gazeta.ru is published by АО «Газета.Ру» (Joint Stock Company Gazeta.Ru), and Lenta.ru is published by ООО «Лента.ру» (Lenta.ru LLC). Both companies are formally incorporated as distinct publishers but are integrated into Rambler&Co, the operational media arm of Rambler Media Group. This makes them indirectly controlled by Sberbank, which acts as the ultimate owner.

The media companies integrated in Rambler&Co are, however, controlled indirectly by various companies. Lenta.ru and Gazeta.ru, for example, were set up by the company MINS, which is 80% owned by Medianna, with the remainder in the hands of Sberentertainment, an admin vehicle, with four employees in 2024, established to run these companies.

The general director of Lenta.ru and Gazeta.ru is Tsyper Andrey Sergeevich, which the U.S.-based Anti-Corruption Foundation describes as a “Russian propagandist.”

For the full dossier on Rambler&Co and their companies, contact Media and Journalism Research Center.

Source of funding and budget

Rambler&Co derives the bulk of its income from advertising and commercial services, supported by Sberbank’s financial backing, which underwrites its media and technology operations.

In 2024, Gazeta.ru reported revenue of RUB 532.6 million (US$6.0 million) with a loss of RUB 26.73 million (US$0.3 million). In 2023, Lenta.ru had revenue of RUB 775.72 million (≈US$8.7 million) with a loss of RUB 3.9 million (US$44,000). The last reported revenue of Rambler&Co was in 2021: RUB 492.13 million (≈US$6.6 million).

For detailed financial results of Rambler&Co and their companies, contact Media and Journalism Research Center.

Editorial independence

Editorial autonomy has long been undermined within Rambler Media Group. In 2014, under former owner Alexander Mamut, Galina Timchenko, editor-in-chief of Lenta.ru, was dismissed after authorizing politically sensitive coverage. This decision led to a mass resignation of the newsroom, a landmark event in Russian media capture.

Following Sberbank’s takeover in 2019–2020, editorial control has tightened further. Both Lenta.ru and Gazeta.ru have been repeatedly cited by independent analysts (2023–2025) as key platforms for Kremlin-aligned propaganda.

No domestic statute or independent oversight body exists to safeguard the editorial independence of Rambler’s outlets. In practice, Rambler&Co functions as a state-aligned media holding, with its editorial agenda firmly subordinated to government priorities.

August 2025