The Moscow Times

What The Moscow Times does

The Moscow Times is an independent English-language digital news outlet covering Russia, founded in 1992 by Derk Sauer and currently operating from Amsterdam after relocating outside Russia. The organization publishes breaking news, in-depth analysis, opinion pieces, podcasts, and multimedia projects spanning Russian politics, business, culture, and the war in Ukraine. Its primary audiences are international English-speaking readers (diplomats, analysts, journalists, expatriates) and the Russian diaspora community of 650,000+ emigrants who left following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Content is delivered through the main website (themoscowtimes.com), a Russian-language edition (ru.themoscowtimes.com), RSS feeds, a weekly email newsletter, podcasts, and dedicated multimedia projects including 'Regions Calling,' 'Mothers & Daughters,' and 'Generation P.' The outlet has been designated an 'undesirable organization' by Russian authorities, criminalizing its work inside Russia while reinforcing its positioning as a source of independent journalism for external audiences.

The business model is direct-to-consumer and donation-supported. Following the discontinuation of all advertising on July 1, 2024 — which the outlet states costs approximately $10,000 per month in foregone revenue — The Moscow Times relies on voluntary reader contributions via one-time, monthly, and annual subscription options. No mandatory paywall is in place, and content is freely accessible. The organization also generates revenue through content partnerships, notably with bne IntelliNews for business news from Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Revenue figures, ownership structure, and incorporation jurisdiction are not publicly disclosed, and no venture capital or institutional funding rounds are documented.

Operationally, the editorial team consists of 51-100 Russian and English journalists working internationally. The organization maintains an active presence across major social platforms including X, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Russia previously labeled the outlet a 'foreign agent' before escalating the designation to 'undesirable organization,' which restricts its distribution and engagement within Russia while the publication continues to serve global audiences from its Amsterdam headquarters.

Name

The Moscow Times

Legal name

The Moscow Times

Website

https://themoscowtimes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Moscow Times is an independent English-language digital news outlet founded in 1992, covering Russian politics, business, and culture for international readers and the Russian diaspora. Operating from Amsterdam after being designated an 'undesirable organization' by Russia, it funds operations through voluntary reader contributions following its July 2024 exit from advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital News Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

News Agencies & Wire Services (General & Specialized) (MPAJADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Rolling News & Breaking News Channels (MPABAIAH)

Keywords

• Independent journalism
• English language news
• Russia news coverage
• Online newspaper
• Digital news media

Headquarters

HQ city

Moscow

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Reader Contributions and Support: Monthly and annual subscription/contribution model where readers financially support the publication. The outlet disabled all advertising as of July 1, 2024, to improve reader experience, costing approximately $10,000 per month. Revenue is primarily derived from reader support rather than advertising.
2. Advertising (Discontinued): Previously relied on advertising revenue but discontinued all ads effective July 1, 2024, as part of commitment to reader experience.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Moscow Times is an English-language online news publication that produces breaking news, in-depth analysis, opinion pieces, and multimedia content about Russia, its politics, business, society, and culture. It operates as a digital-first news outlet serving both an international English-speaking audience and the Russian diaspora, with content freely accessible and funded by reader contributions since advertising was discontinued in July 2024.

Product overview

The Moscow Times is a single-platform media outlet offering one primary product: an English-language news website delivering breaking news, engaging stories, and balanced reporting about Russia. The platform is complemented by supplementary content products including the TMT Weekly Newsletter, a Lecture Series, Podcasts, and RSS Feed subscriptions. The organization also produces dedicated multimedia projects such as Mothers & Daughters and Generation P. Revenue is generated through reader contributions and subscriptions, with all advertising disabled since July 2024 to improve reader experience. The Moscow Times has been designated as an 'undesirable' organization by Russian authorities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TMT Weekly Newsletter: A free weekly newsletter featuring hand-picked news, features, and analysis from The Moscow Times.
• Regions Calling
• TMT Lecture Series

Products and services

• The Moscow Times Website The primary English-language news platform providing breaking news, analysis, opinion pieces, and balanced reporting about Russia, Ukrainian War, business, politics, society, and culture. Free access with voluntary reader contribution model.
• TMT Weekly Newsletter A free weekly newsletter delivering a curated selection of news, features, and analysis from The Moscow Times editors, delivered to subscribers every Friday.
• TMT Podcasts Audio content series covering news, analysis, and stories about Russia and the Russian diaspora, available through podcast platforms.
• RSS Feeds Automated news feeds delivering articles by section (News, Opinion, Arts and Life, Meanwhile) to RSS readers for automated content delivery.
• TMT Lecture Series A lecture and discussion series featuring presentations on Russia-related topics, organized by The Moscow Times.
• Mothers & Daughters A multimedia storytelling project exploring mother-daughter relationships, featured on The Moscow Times platform.
• Generation P A multimedia project exploring generational perspectives on life, identity, and society in Russia.
• Regions Calling A multimedia project covering regional stories from across Russia, highlighting diverse regional perspectives and issues.
• Reader Contribution Program Reader support program allowing supporters to financially contribute to independent journalism through one-time, monthly, or annual contribution options.
• Russian-Language Edition (ru.themoscowtimes.com) A Russian-language edition of The Moscow Times website providing news and analysis about Russia for Russian-speaking audiences.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• bne IntelliNewsminorGTM or Marketing Partnerbne IntelliNews publishes business news and data from Eastern and Central Europe, Eurasia, East Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East and North Africa. Their content appears as partner articles on The Moscow Times website under a dedicated section.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Bell: Independent Russian business and economics news outlet covering Russian companies and markets from outside Russia, with subscription-based monetization.
• Meduza: Latvia-based independent Russian-language news outlet covering politics and society; the closest direct peer given overlapping diaspora audience, donor-funded model, and independent stance toward Russia.
• Novaya Gazeta Europe: European-based edition of the Nobel-winning Russian newspaper, providing independent Russian-language journalism from exile; highly comparable editorial mission and diaspora reader base.
• The Insider: Russia-focused investigative outlet operating from abroad, specializing in OSINT and accountability journalism aimed at Russian-speaking readers worldwide.
• bne IntelliNews: English-language business news outlet covering Emerging Europe and the former Soviet Union; already a content partner of The Moscow Times and serves an overlapping international professional audience.

Broad incumbents

• Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL): U.S.-funded international broadcaster with deep Russia and post-Soviet coverage in Russian and local languages; a much larger incumbent operating in the same independent-news space.
• Current Time TV: RFE/RL-operated Russian-language TV and digital network targeting Russian-speaking audiences; overlaps with TMT's mission to deliver independent news in Russian.

Emerging players

• Kyiv Independent: English-language Ukrainian news outlet with reader-supported model and strong coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war; comparable as an English-language, donor-funded outlet covering the same conflict region.
• Belarusian Investigative Center: Investigative outlet covering Belarus with cross-border collaboration; already a media partner listed on The Moscow Times site and serves an overlapping diaspora audience.
• Proekt Media: Investigative Russian outlet recognized for high-impact reporting on Russian elites; overlaps on editorial mission of investigative, independent Russia coverage from exile.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MoscowTimes
• YouTubeyoutube.com/themoscowtimes
• Facebookfacebook.com/MoscowTimes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-moscow-times
• Instagraminstagram.com/themoscowtimes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Moscow Times