Patriot Media Group
 | |
| Founded | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 30 June 2023 |
| Headquarters | , Russia |
| Key people | Yevgeny Prigozhin (owner) |
| Industry | Mass media |
| Website | mediapatriot riafan |
Patriot Media Group was a Russian media conglomerate owned by Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. It was shut down on 30 June 2023 after the failed Wagner Group rebellion.[1][2] The group's most prominent outlet was the Federal News Agency (RIA FAN).[3]
History
[edit]Patriot Media Group was officially founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2019, however some subsidiaries began operating much earlier, such as RIA FAN which registered its website in 2014.[4][5] It was headquartered in Saint Petersburg, with additional known offices in Africa and Crimea.[4]
On 30 June 2023, Russia's media regulator Roskomnadzor blocked access to five Patriot Media Group outlets following the 23–24 June 2023 Wagner rebellion.[2] The same day, it was announced that Patriot Media Group would be closed down.[1] The National Media Group was thought to be a potential buyer of the group's assets, but this did not materialize.[6]
Subsidiaries
[edit]Patriot Media Group comprised a large number of publications, described by sources as dozens[1][7] or even hundreds.[6] Notable subsidiaries included:[1][6]
- RIA FAN (Federal News Agency)
- Politika Segodnya (Politics Today)
- Ekonomika Segodnya (Economics Today)
- Narodnye Novosti (People's News)
- Nevskie Novosti
The group additionally had strong links and employee overlap with the Internet Research Agency troll farm (IRA); for example, RIA FAN shared an office with the IRA until 2015, and multiple outlets that joined Patriot Media Group in 2021 did so for longer.[4] Serge Poliakoff wrote in a 2025 Problems of Post-Communism article that "it can be suggested that the IRA's activities and part of its workforce might have been gradually absorbed" by Patriot Media Group.[4] Patriot Media Group has often been described as encompassing the IRA.[2][7]
Content
[edit]As a private entity, while Patriot Media Group was ideologically aligned with the Russian government it was not state-controlled, and had the independence to sometimes criticize state actors.[4] A 2021 Cardiff University investigation found coordination between Russian state-owned media and Patriot Media Group outlets, and described the outlets as spreading propaganda and disinformation.[8][9] RFE/RL described RIA FAN's content as having "a strongly patriotic, pro-Kremlin line while also providing positive coverage of Prigozhin's activities and attacking rivals".[10]
Sanctions
[edit]In December 2018 (before the official establishment of Patriot Media Group), the United States Department of the Treasury designated RIA FAN, Ekonomika Segodnya and Nevskie Novosti for their roles in the Project Lakhta election interference effort. The "USA Really" website was also designated as being owned or controlled by RIA FAN.[11]
RIA FAN was sanctioned by the European Union in 2023 alongside the Wagner Group for actions that "undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine".[4] Meta also banned RIA FAN in response to IRA foreign interference activities.[12]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Wagner boss Prigozhin disbands Patriot media group, home of propaganda "troll factory"". The Insider. 2023-06-30. Archived from the original on 2026-08-22. Retrieved 2026-08-20.
- 1 2 3 Hancock, Edith (2023-07-02). "Wagner Group boss shutters media empire". Politico Europe. Archived from the original on 2025-09-14. Retrieved 2026-08-20.
- ↑ "Prigozhin-controlled Russian media group shuts after mutiny". Reuters. 2023-07-02. Archived from the original on 2025-03-17. Retrieved 2026-08-20.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Poliakoff, Serge (2025-09-03). "Trolls Behind the Mask of Journalists: How Yevgeny Prigozhin's Patriot Media Group Was Organized". Problems of Post-Communism. 72 (5): 416–428. doi:10.1080/10758216.2024.2438336. ISSN 1075-8216.
- ↑ Zakharov, Andrey; Rusyaeva, Polina (2017-03-24). "Расследование РБК: как из «фабрики троллей» выросла «фабрика медиа»" [RBC Investigation: How a "troll factory" grew into a "media factory"]. RBK Group (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2019-11-01. Retrieved 2026-08-20.
- 1 2 3 Chikishev, Nikolai (2023-08-14). "Prigozhin's Mutiny Shatters Illusion of Powerful Media Empire". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Archived from the original on 2026-08-20. Retrieved 2026-08-20.
- 1 2 "Exiled Wagner Boss Shutters Patriot Media Group". The Moscow Times. 2026-08-20. Archived from the original on 2026-08-20. Retrieved 2026-08-20.
- ↑ "High-profile Western media outlets repeatedly infiltrated by pro-Kremlin trolls". Cardiff University. 2021-09-06. Archived from the original on 2026-08-21. Retrieved 2026-08-20.
- ↑ "How a Kremlin-Linked Influence Operation is Systematically Manipulating Western Media to Construct & Communicate Disinformation PART 1 DETECTION REPORT" (PDF). Cardiff University. 2021-09-06. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2026-08-18. Retrieved 2026-08-20.
- ↑ "In Wake Of Mutiny, Prigozhin's Media Empire In Russia Shuts Down". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2023-07-02. Archived from the original on 2026-08-21. Retrieved 2026-08-20.
- ↑ "Treasury Targets Russian Operatives over Election Interference, World Anti-Doping Agency Hacking, and Other Malign Activities". U.S. Department of the Treasury. 2018-03-15. Archived from the original on 2018-12-29. Retrieved 2026-08-20.
- ↑ "Meta bans RT and other Russian state media outlets due to "foreign interference activity"". CBS News. 2024-09-17. Archived from the original on 2026-08-21. Retrieved 2026-08-20.