Outlet profile

Sputnik India

Russian state

Owned byPart of the Sputnik international brand, owned by Rossiya Segodnya, a Russian state-owned media group. Rossiya Segodnya was created by presidential decree in December 2013, and the Russian government controls it.

FundingFunded mainly by the Russian federal budget. It runs few or no commercial operations of its own, and its India-focused output is produced for audiences abroad.

On the administrationmixed

Background

Sputnik was launched on November 10, 2014, by Rossiya Segodnya. The group was created in late 2013 to replace the news agency RIA Novosti and the radio service Voice of Russia. Sputnik publishes in dozens of languages, and its India service covers Indian and global news for readers in India and South Asia. It is state-funded and answers to the Russian government, so its editorial line tends to reflect Kremlin positions and often highlights Russia–India partnership and criticism of Western policy. Western governments and researchers have described Sputnik as a vehicle for Russian state messaging and disinformation. The EU banned Sputnik's broadcasting in 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In 2025, Trump imposed tariffs of 25% and then 50% on Indian goods, citing India's purchases of Russian oil. In early 2026 he announced a trade deal in which India would stop buying Russian oil. Sputnik's wire-style reporting on this period gave prominent space to Indian reactions and to arguments against the tariffs. Details of Sputnik India's own founding and staffing were not found in my search and are not covered here.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-10-15; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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