Official position/function regarding the conflict

The Russian news agency “Federal News Agency” (FAN) is the main project of the “media factory,” which, along with the “troll factory” (also known as “Prigozhin trolls”), constitutes the unofficial “media holding” of Yevgeny Prigozhin (see the section Propagandists for more information about Prigozhin). In total, together with FAN, 15 more “information and scandalous” websites belong to the “media factory”.

It takes an aggressive anti-Ukrainian position, publishes negative information and misinformation about the leaders of the Russian opposition, organizes campaigns of harassment against opposition and independent investigative journalists, as in the case of the discovery and the first detailed description of PMC Wagner. FAN works in close cooperation with the “troll factory,” together they create and distribute fakes. FAN accounts have been banned from Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, and Google News. The agency was accused of interfering with the US elections, for which in December 2018 the US Treasury added FAN to the Specially Designated Nationals List.

With regard to the conflict in Donbas, the FAN is actively promoting the main Kremlin narrative for the propagandist media – the narrative of “genocide against the Russian-speakers, which is organized by the fascists who seized power in Ukraine.” FAN constantly publishes fakes and negative information regarding Ukraine.

Interests/goals in the conflict region

FAN is actively working to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and stir up the conflict. The agency has no interests in the conflict region.

Actions regarding the conflict

FAN is an active participant in the actions of Russian propaganda against Ukraine. Its work, like the activities of other pro-Kremlin media, is aimed at justifying Russia’s aggression in Donbas, providing favorable coverage of the separatists’ actions, fakes regarding MH17, and persecuting the democratic opposition and its leaders who supported Ukraine.