Russia launches fact-checking website which conceals pro-Kremlin narratives

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Russia launches fact-checking website which conceals pro-Kremlin narratives  The Global Fact-Checking Network's website may look credible, but it is in fact backed by Russia's state news agency TASS.   READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/09/19/russia-launches-fact-checking-website-which-conceals-pro-kremlin-narratives  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:00How reliable is Russia's new fact-checking outlet?

00:07In a bid to fight back against mass online disinformation,

00:10an increasing number of fact-checking outlets are cropping up online.

00:14While some are integrated into traditional newsrooms,

00:17others are standalone entities.

00:19But what happens when fact-checking websites

00:21become vehicles used to conceal propaganda campaigns?

00:25This is the case of the Global Fact-Checking Network,

00:28and started posting articles in April 2025.

00:31Although it may seem like a legitimate fact-checking website,

00:34in reality it is a Kremlin-backed disinformation tool.

00:37The organization's name is very similar to the established

00:40International Fact-Checking Network,

00:42which is a reputable consortium of international fact-checkers.

00:45This is unlikely to be a coincidence.

00:47The co-founders of the outlet include Russian state news agency TASS,

00:51as well as Anno Dialogue, a non-governmental organization

00:54which is under sanctions from the US and EU.

00:57The Kremlin's spokesperson for foreign affairs, Maria Zakharova,

01:00has said the platform's aim is to fight what she called fake stories,

01:04as well as disinformation promoted by the West and biased fact-checkers.

01:08The Global Fact-Checking Network's website is available in English and Russian,

01:11listing a range of experts and participants who contribute to its fact-checking work.

01:16While the outlet is still relatively new,

01:18established fact-checking organizations have flagged factual mistakes

01:21and pro-Russian narratives in the outlet's articles.

01:24Many of the platform's contributors are known Russian propagandists,

01:28who have also worked for Kremlin state-aligned outlets.

01:31For instance, one of its contributors is the African Initiative,

01:35which presents itself as a Russian news agency,

01:37which covers events on the African continent.

01:39In reality, it has been classified as the main vehicle for Russia's disinformation activities in Africa,

01:44by France's Agency for Foreign Digital Interference, Vignium.

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