Komsomolskaya Pravda
The 24th of May 1925 marked the first appearance of Komsomolskaya Pravda. This daily newspaper emerged from a decision by the 13th Congress of the Russian Communist Party. It began as an official organ for the Central Committee of the Komsomol youth organization. The initial print run reached 31,000 copies that first day. Its target audience spanned ages 14 to 28 years old. Early content focused heavily on popular science and adventure stories. These articles served to teach communist values alongside entertainment. The paper received the Order of Lenin in 1930. It later earned the Order of Red Banner of Labour twice. One award came in 1950 while another arrived in 1957. A third honor followed in 1975 with the Order of the October Revolution. The publication also won the Order of the Patriotic War in 1945.
Komsomolskaya Pravda sold almost 22 million daily copies at its peak in 1990. This figure represented the highest circulation ever recorded for the tabloid. By 2001, sales had dropped significantly to 785,000 copies. That number placed it ninth among European newspapers that year. In 2006, the paper became Russia's top-selling newspaper again. Daily circulation ranged between 700,000 and 3.1 million copies during that period. March 2008 saw certified circulation settle at 660,000 copies according to NCS data. TNS Gallup Media confirmed it remained the most read paper in the country that same year. The online version also became the most visited news website in 2008. Sergei Rudnov currently controls 45% of the paper indirectly through Baltic Media Group. ESN Group led by Grigory Berezkin owned Media Partner until 2011. A Norwegian company called A-Pressen purchased 25 percent plus one share in December 2000. Vladimir Putin reportedly considers this publication his favorite newspaper.
A front-page article published in January 2015 suggested the United States orchestrated the Charlie Hebdo shooting. Columnist Alisa Titko went viral in May 2017 for writing about Manchester being full of fat people. She described the sight of same-sex love as disgusting in that same piece. The tabloid published an article in 2021 where Andrei Nazarov accused Artemi Panarin of sexual assault. This allegation involved an 18-year-old Latvian woman in Riga. The New York Rangers condemned these claims as fabrication and intimidation tactics. They noted Panarin had spoken out against recent political events. He expressed support for Alexei Navalny before the opposition leader was detained upon returning to Russia from Germany. News editor Vladimir Romanenko published anti-war articles in February 2023. These pieces documented Russian war crimes and criticized alleged torture of Alexei Navalny. Editors deleted Romanenko's work within 10 minutes of its publication. He no longer works for the publication following this incident.
Vladimir Sungorkin died in September 2022 while serving as editor in chief. The official cause listed a stroke but occurred amid suspicious deaths since 2022. A series of unexplained fatalities affected Russian businesspeople, oligarchs, and journalists during this period. His deputy editor in chief was found dead in her apartment in December 2023. These events followed patterns seen among other Russian media figures since that year began. Olesya Nosovad took over leadership roles after Sungorkin's death. She has held the position from 2022 onward. Previous editors included Vladimir Petrovich Simonov who served from 1995 to 1997. Vladislav Aleksandrovich Fronin led the paper between 1988 and 1995. Gennadiy Nikolayevich Seleznyov managed operations from 1981 until 1988. Valeriy Nikolayevich Ganichev edited from 1978 through 1980. Lev Konstantinovich Korneshov held the role from 1973 to 1978.
A European edition called Komsomolskaya Pravda v Evrope targets Russian diaspora communities in Germany. It also serves Russian-speaking tourists along the Croatian Adriatic coast. This version distributes across several EU countries today. A special Baltic-region edition exists for Latvia, Estonia, and Finland. Independent newspapers with similar names operate in Commonwealth of Independent States member states. Belarus hosts Komsomolskaya Pravda v Belorusi while Moldova runs Komsomolskaya Pravda v Moldove. Kazakhstan maintains its own version under the name Komsomolskaya Pravda v Kazakhstane. Ukraine launched Komsomolskaya Pravda v Ukraine before renaming it KP in January 2016. The Ukrainian publication changed again to Korotko Pro in 2024. These changes complied with Ukrainian decommunization laws passed that year. Radio Komsomolskaya Pravda operates as a related radio network alongside the print editions. Digital archives exist within Newspapers on the web and beyond at the National Library of Russia.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When was Komsomolskaya Pravda first published?
Komsomolskaya Pravda first appeared on the 24th of May 1925. This daily newspaper emerged from a decision by the 13th Congress of the Russian Communist Party.
Who owns Komsomolskaya Pravda today and what is its circulation history?
Sergei Rudnov currently controls 45% of Komsomolskaya Pravda indirectly through Baltic Media Group. The publication sold almost 22 million daily copies at its peak in 1990 before dropping to 785,000 copies by 2001.
What controversial articles did Komsomolskaya Pravda publish regarding international events?
A front-page article published in January 2015 suggested the United States orchestrated the Charlie Hebdo shooting. Columnist Alisa Titko went viral in May 2017 for writing about Manchester being full of fat people and describing same-sex love as disgusting.
Who served as editor in chief of Komsomolskaya Pravda after Vladimir Sungorkin died?
Olesya Nosovad took over leadership roles after Vladimir Sungorkin died in September 2022. She has held the position from 2022 onward following a series of unexplained fatalities among Russian media figures.
Which countries have editions of Komsomolskaya Pravda outside Russia?
Komsomolskaya Pravda v Ukraine launched an edition before renaming it KP in January 2016 and changing again to Korotko Pro in 2024. Belarus hosts Komsomolskaya Pravda v Belorusi while Moldova runs Komsomolskaya Pravda v Moldove and Kazakhstan maintains its own version under the name Komsomolskaya Pravda v Kazakhstane.