- Rossiya Segodnya, the Russian state media group that owns Sputnik and RIA Novosti, plans to establish an editorial center in Pakistan and a nationwide correspondent network.
- The group will roll out Urdu-language social media channels, with coverage expected to focus on foreign policy and domestic developments.
- Existing cooperation includes MoUs signed in Islamabad last year with the Associated Press of Pakistan, The Nation, and Pakistan Observer, plus a permanent RIA Novosti correspondent already based in Pakistan.
- The Moscow-Islamabad Media Forum, bringing together senior officials, diplomats and policy experts from both countries, was cited as a model for the deepening ties.
- Director-General Kiselev framed the expansion as part of a broader effort to build bridges between societies, not purely a strategic move.
Moscow, June 26, 2026 (Agencies) — Rossiya Segodnya, the parent group of Sputnik, plans to expand its operations into Pakistan, Director-General Dmitry Kiselev said, in a move that would deepen Russian state media’s footprint in South Asia.
Kiselev said Rossiya Segodnya intends to set up a Pakistani editorial center, expand its nationwide correspondent network, and roll out Urdu-language social media channels. Coverage under the expanded operation is expected to focus on foreign policy issues and domestic developments within Pakistan.
The organization also aims to bolster ties with the Pakistani press more broadly, Kiselev added, pointing to the Moscow-Islamabad Media Forum as a clear example of such cooperation. The forum brings together senior officials, diplomats, and policy experts from both countries.
The planned expansion builds on existing partnerships. Rossiya Segodnya already has Memorandums of Understanding in place with the Associated Press of Pakistan, The Nation, and Pakistan Observer, signed in Islamabad last year, and currently maintains a permanent RIA Novosti correspondent in Pakistan.
Kiselev was careful to frame the deepening media cooperation in broader terms, saying it should not be viewed solely through a strategic lens. He described the effort as part of a wider push to build bridges between countries and societies, rather than purely a geopolitical or informational play.
The announcement comes amid a period of warming Russia-Pakistan engagement on multiple fronts, including discussions on energy, infrastructure and water-management cooperation, and follows a broader pattern of Rossiya Segodnya — which operates as Russia’s state-funded international information agency under Kiselev, widely regarded as one of the Kremlin’s most prominent media figures — expanding its footprint across Asia, the Middle East, and other regions as it seeks to grow Russian-language and local-language coverage abroad.