TASS

TASS is a Russian state-owned news agency whose institutional history reaches back to the Commercial Telegraph Agency, which began operating in 1902, and whose modern founding is generally dated to the establishment of the Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union in 1925. It is headquartered in Moscow and operates as a Federal State Unitary Enterprise owned by the Russian government. The agency is one of the principal news distributors in Russia and has historically served as an official channel for state information as well as a supplier of news to newspapers, broadcasters, institutions, businesses, and other media organizations. The organization passed through several names and political systems. It became the St. Petersburg Telegraph Agency in 1904, was renamed the Petrograd Telegraph Agency after the city changed its name in 1914, and was reorganized as the Russian Telegraph Agency, or ROSTA, after the Bolshevik Revolution. In 1925, TASS was created as the Soviet Union's central information agency. During the Soviet period, it had an exclusive institutional role in gathering and distributing foreign information and in supplying domestic and international news to the Soviet media system. It also coordinated or worked alongside the news agencies of the Soviet republics. The agency produced both general news services and restricted information products for senior officials and selected journalists. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, a presidential decree in 1992 changed the agency's name to the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. The acronym TASS remained familiar internationally, and the organization was widely known as ITAR-TASS. In October 2014, it returned to the shorter TASS brand, formally presented in English as the Russian News Agency TASS. The rebranding connected the post-Soviet institution with its historic identity while retaining its role as a national government news provider. TASS distributes text, photographs, video, infographics, and other multimedia material. Its output covers politics, government, economics, business, international affairs, science, culture, sport, regional developments, and emergencies. Reference material describes daily production of nearly 3,000 news items in six languages and approximately 700 photographs and videos, although such volumes can vary over time. The agency maintains a large Russian and international footprint, including offices in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States and bureaus in numerous countries. It also operates press centers in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, and Novosibirsk, hosting news conferences, official events, forums, and cultural and business programs. TASS's public role has long been inseparable from questions about state ownership, editorial independence, and political communication. Historians and critics have characterized its Soviet predecessor as an important instrument of official messaging and, at times, as part of broader Soviet information and intelligence structures. In the contemporary period, critics and governments have accused TASS of reproducing Russian state narratives and disinformation, particularly during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In 2022, the European Alliance of News Agencies suspended the agency, citing concerns about impartiality under Russia's wartime media restrictions, and Getty Images ended its partnership with TASS. TASS rejected allegations that it lacked professional or political independence. Despite these controversies and international pressure, it remains active as a major Russian news distributor and a prominent state communication institution.

TASS traces its institutional lineage to the Commercial Telegraph Agency, which began operating in December 1902 under Russia's Ministry of Finance. During the Russo-Japanese War, demand for rapid general news increased, and the agency was renamed the St. Petersburg Telegraph Agency in 1904. The change was primarily a rebranding: its premises, staff, and basic function remained substantially similar. After St. Petersburg became Petrograd in 1914, the agency adopted the name Petrograd Telegraph Agency. The Bolsheviks seized the agency in November 1917. It was reorganized as a central information office of the Soviet government and, in September 1918, became the Russian Telegraph Agency, or ROSTA. ROSTA served as the central information agency of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. Its work included the collection, editing, and distribution of political and social information to newspapers and other official outlets. The agency's identity and structure reflected the emerging Soviet system in which news distribution was closely integrated with government administration and party communication. On 10 July 1925, the Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union, abbreviated TASS, was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. It assumed ROSTA's central role and became the principal news agency for the Soviet Union. TASS had an exclusive institutional mandate to gather and distribute news from outside the Soviet Union and to circulate foreign and domestic information within the country. It also coordinated with republican news agencies, including agencies in Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic republics, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and other Soviet republics. Its official bulletins and reports were widely used by Soviet newspapers, radio, and television. The Soviet agency operated both public and restricted information channels. General news was prepared for broad distribution, while selected foreign reports and sensitive domestic material were assembled in limited-circulation collections known as White TASS and Red TASS. These products illustrated the agency's dual function as a mass-media supplier and a controlled information resource for officials and senior media personnel. TASS also had a substantial foreign presence. Its overseas correspondents reported on international events, while critics and historians have examined the agency's relationship with Soviet state propaganda, intelligence services, and influence operations. In 1961, RIA Novosti was created to supplement TASS, particularly in foreign and human-interest reporting. In 1971, TASS was elevated to State Committee status within the Soviet government. The agency received the Order of the October Revolution in 1975. The Soviet Union's dissolution brought another institutional transition. In January 1992, a presidential decree signed by Boris Yeltsin redefined the agency and renamed it the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. The government later approved its charter as a central state news agency. Although the expanded ITAR-TASS name reflected the post-Soviet legal and institutional setting, the TASS acronym remained internationally recognizable. The agency was therefore commonly referred to as ITAR-TASS for more than two decades. In October 2014, it adopted the shorter TASS name again and presented itself as the Russian News Agency TASS. The organization continued operating as a state-owned Federal State Unitary Enterprise headquartered in Moscow. Its network expanded across Russian regions, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and international locations. TASS also developed press-center operations in Moscow and several Russian cities, hosting official briefings, conferences, cultural programs, business events, and other public communications. It organized the first News Agencies World Congress in 2004 and has acted as a media partner for forums and exhibitions. In the 2020s, TASS became the focus of renewed international criticism over its relationship with Russian state policy and its coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The European Alliance of News Agencies suspended the agency in February 2022, while Getty Images ended its partnership the following month. Critics cited the effects of Russian media regulation and alleged dissemination of misleading claims. TASS defended its professionalism and independence. It remains active as a major Russian news provider, publishing text, photographs, video, and multimedia material in several languages while retaining its prominent role in official and state-aligned communication.

1. 2022Suspended by EANA

   The European Alliance of News Agencies suspends TASS amid concerns about wartime media restrictions and impartiality.

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2. 2014Returns to the TASS name

   The agency abandons the ITAR-TASS branding and adopts the shorter historic name.

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3. 2004Hosts the first News Agencies World Congress

   TASS organizes the inaugural News Agencies World Congress.

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4. 1992Becomes the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia

   Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, a presidential decree reorganizes and renames the agency.

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5. 1975Receives the Order of the October Revolution

   The Soviet government awards TASS one of the state's highest honors.

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6. 1925TASS is established

   The Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union assumes the central Soviet news-agency role.

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7. 1918ROSTA is established

   The agency becomes the Russian Telegraph Agency, the central information agency of the Russian Soviet Republic.

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8. 1914Renamed the Petrograd Telegraph Agency

   The name changes after St. Petersburg is renamed Petrograd.

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9. 1904Agency becomes the St. Petersburg Telegraph Agency

   The agency adopts a new name as demand for broader news coverage grows during the Russo-Japanese War.

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10. 1902Commercial Telegraph Agency begins operations

    The institutional predecessor of TASS starts operating under Russia's Ministry of Finance.

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Russian state-owned national news agency and official information distributor with international coverage.

• TASS text news serviceNewswire

  The agency's core service distributes Russian and international reporting across politics, government, economics, business, society, science, culture, sport, and regional affairs. It supplies continuous written updates to media organizations, institutions, businesses, and general audiences through TASS's websites and professional distribution channels.

• TASS photo and video serviceVisual news

  TASS provides photographs and video reports produced by correspondents in Russia and abroad. The visual service supports breaking news, official events, politics, sport, culture, and feature coverage, and forms a significant part of the agency's multimedia publishing operation.

• TASS press centersEvent and communications services

  TASS operates multimedia press centers, including its principal facility in Moscow and centers in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, and Novosibirsk. They host press conferences, government appearances, business forums, cultural events, scientific discussions, and other public communications programs.

• TASS official information servicesGovernment information1925

  Historically, TASS has distributed official state statements and bulletins. In the Soviet period, its formal mandate made it the principal conduit for government information to newspapers, radio, and television; the contemporary agency continues to give extensive coverage to Russian state institutions and official announcements.

• 2004News Agencies World Congress

  Global

  TASS organized the first News Agencies World Congress, reinforcing its role as an international institution within the news-agency sector.

  Outcome. The event established TASS as host of the inaugural global congress for news agencies.

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• TASS media partnerships and event programs

  Russia · Global

  TASS has acted as a media partner for conferences, forums, exhibitions, and other prominent events in Russia and abroad, while using its press centers to support public communication.

  Outcome. These programs extend the agency beyond news distribution into event coverage and institutional communications.

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• 2022Respond to EANA suspensionOther

  EANA suspended TASS amid concerns about Russian media restrictions and the agency's impartiality during the invasion of Ukraine.

  What changed. TASS Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman publicly defended the agency as credible, professional, and politically independent.

  Aftermath. The suspension remained in place; a 2023 attempt to permanently expel TASS failed to secure the required majority.

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• 2014Return to the TASS brandStrategy

  The TASS acronym remained widely recognized after more than two decades of the ITAR-TASS identity.

  What changed. The agency reverted to the shorter TASS name and presented itself as the Russian News Agency TASS.

  Aftermath. The historic brand became the agency's primary public identity again.

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• 1992Reorganize as the Information Telegraph Agency of RussiaStrategy

  The dissolution of the Soviet Union required a new legal and institutional identity for the former Soviet central news agency.

  What changed. A presidential decree renamed and redefined the organization as the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia, commonly known as ITAR-TASS.

  Aftermath. The agency continued operating as a central government news provider while retaining the internationally recognized TASS acronym.

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• 2022Suspension from the European Alliance of News AgenciesControversy

  EANA suspended TASS after Russia introduced restrictive wartime media rules, concluding that the agency was not able to provide unbiased news under those conditions. TASS disputed the characterization and defended its credibility and professionalism.

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• 2022Getty Images terminates TASS partnershipControversy

  Getty Images ended its relationship with TASS after monitoring its coverage following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and determining that the material conflicted with Getty's editorial policy.

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• 2022Criticism over wartime disinformationControversy

  TASS was criticized for repeating unsubstantiated or false claims connected with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including a claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had fled Kyiv and claims concerning an alleged Ukrainian nuclear dirty bomb.

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• 2014TASS changes its name back to the historic TASS brand

  The agency reverted from the ITAR-TASS identity to the shorter TASS name, restoring its historic international brand.

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1. TASS
2. Official TASS website