"Fact check: Is Russia's new fact-checking platform credible?", 4 June 2025

In early April, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs unveiled the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) — a self-proclaimed international alliance of fact-checkers and media outlets.

The initiative was first presented at the "Dialogue about Fakes 2.0" forum in Moscow in November 2024. At a press briefing following the April announcement, Russian  foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova framed the GFCN as a counter to what she called the West's "relentless stream of fake stories and disinformation campaigns," accusing Western fact-checkers of engaging in "biased pseudo-fact-checking..."

But established fact-checking sites such as Facta and Maldita have raised red flags over the GFCN's Kremlin-aligned backers, opaque operations, and overtly one-sided narratives...

The GFCN was co-founded by TASS, Russia's state-run news agency, and the Autonomous Non-Profit Organization ANO Dialog — both known for their close ties to the Kremlin.

TASS was suspended in 2022 by the European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA) over concerns about its editorial independence. In 2023, the European Union sanctioned ANO Dialog for its role in spreading disinformation and for operating the pro-Kremlin website War on Fakes...

DW reviewed several GFCN articles and found consistent problems with sourcing and methodology...

Observers say the GFCN's name — just one letter removed from the IFCN — is no accident...

The International Fact-Checking Network, founded in 2015 by the Poynter Institute, is a respected consortium of more than 150 independent fact-checkers worldwide...

The GFCN, on the other hand, appears to follow a long-standing tactic of the Russian state: imitating legitimate institutions to blur the line between journalism and propaganda.