Agentura

What Agentura does

Agentura.ru is an independent investigative journalism outlet that specializes in coverage of Russian intelligence and security services — specifically the FSB, SVR, and GRU — their personnel, operations, historical evolution, and broader role in Russian domestic and foreign policy. The organization publishes news, long-form investigations, dossiers on individual intelligence-agency departments, book reviews, and historical analyses on its website, with content available in both Russian and English and an archive dating back to 2002. Distribution is entirely direct via the web (agentura.ru, agentura.ru/en, archive.agentura.ru); all content is free, with no paywalls, subscriptions, or advertising disclosed in the source material.

The outlet's underlying technology is a web-based content management system for publishing investigative journalism. There are no APIs, no SDKs, no mobile applications, and no AI/ML components documented. The editorial product is supplemented by a books line — including "Bitva za Runet" (Battle for Runet), "Novoe dvoryanstvo" (New Nobility), "Svoi sredi chuzhikh" (Our Own Among Strangers), and the 2025 release "Our Dear Friends in Moscow" — which represents the only discernible non-website revenue surface.

The business model is for-profit by registration but functionally non-commercial: the website is free to readers, no products or services are sold, and pricing is not publicly disclosed. Revenue sources are not stated in the input; plausible (but unverified) income includes book royalties and journalism grants. The operation runs with 1–10 employees, is led by Chief Editor Andrei Soldatov (co-author of the books line and a recognized authority on Russian security services), and reaches an audience of journalists, researchers, policy analysts, academics, international media, and the Russian diaspora.

Name

Agentura

Legal name

Agentura.ru

Website

https://agentura.ru

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Agentura.ru is an independent investigative journalism outlet covering Russian intelligence and security services (FSB, SVR, GRU), their history, operations, and personnel. It serves journalists, researchers, policy analysts, and the Russian diaspora through a free Russian- and English-language website and a publishing line.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lubyanka

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Agentura.ru is an investigative journalism website that publishes original long-form investigations, news articles, dossiers on Russian intelligence agencies (FSB, SVR, GRU), historical analyses of Soviet and Russian special services, book reviews, and political-migration reporting. Content is freely accessible to the public in both Russian and English, drawing on original documents, interviews, and a maintained archive dating to 2002.

Product overview

Agentura.ru is an investigative journalism outlet focused on Russian intelligence services, security affairs, and political topics. The website operates as a content publishing platform featuring multiple content sections including news, investigations, dossiers (profiles of intelligence agencies), books and reviews, and history archives. It is not a technology product or SaaS platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Agentura.ru Website An investigative journalism website covering Russian intelligence services (FSB, SVR, GRU), security affairs, political investigations, and related history. The platform publishes news articles, in-depth investigations, dossiers on intelligence agencies, and book reviews, and is freely accessible to a global audience in Russian and English.
• "Bitva za Runet" (Battle for Runet) Investigative book on the history and politics of the Russian internet, internet censorship, and state control of digital communications, associated with Agentura.ru's Red Web investigative topic area.
• "Novoe dvoryanstvo" (New Nobility) Investigative book on Russian security-service elites and the post-Soviet special services, produced in connection with Agentura.ru's investigative coverage.
• "Svoi sredi chuzhikh" (Our Own Among Strangers) Investigative book associated with Agentura.ru's editorial work on Russian intelligence and security affairs.
• "Our Dear Friends in Moscow: The Inside Story of a Broken Generation" English-language book by Agentura.ru's chief editor Andrei Soldatov and co-author Irina Borogan, covering Russian political émigrés and a "lost generation," reviewed on Agentura.ru.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Leading Russian publicationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002Since 2002, Agentura.ru has collaborated with leading Russian publications on joint investigations covering special services, counter-terrorism (which in Russian reality amounts to political surveillance), and intelligence history. This collaboration has produced a substantial archive of investigative materials preserved for public access.
• International media consortiumscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgentura.ru has partnered with international media organizations on major investigations, including the Vulkan leak investigation with Paper Trail Media and The Guardian, and investigations with OCCRP and Deutsche Welle on transnational repression cases.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• IStories (iStories Media): Russian-language investigative journalism outlet known for long-form investigations into Russian political and security affairs; comparable in mission, language coverage, and target audience.
• Bellingcat: Open-source investigative journalism collective that has run major investigations into Russian intelligence operations (e.g., GRU Skripal poisoning, Vulkan files), making it a directly comparable peer in investigative scope, Russian-intel focus, and cross-border consortium work.
• Meduza: Independent Russian-language news outlet operating from exile covering Russian politics and society; comparable in serving Russian-speaking readers with independent reporting when operating from Russia is unsafe.
• Proekt Media: Award-winning Russian investigative outlet known for investigations into Russian security services and elites; now operating from exile — closely aligned in beat and audience.
• The Insider: Russia-focused investigative outlet that works on intelligence, security services, and transnational repression cases; closely mirrors Agentura's beat and frequently collaborates on Russian-related investigations.
• OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project): International investigative journalism consortium focused on organized crime and corruption, including Russian-linked cases; Agentura is a documented OCCRP partner on transnational repression investigations.
• Paper Trail Media: European cross-border investigative journalism network; collaborated with Agentura on the Vulkan leak investigation with The Guardian, making it a directly comparable investigative partner.

Broad incumbents

• Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (Russian Service): U.S.-government-funded international broadcaster with long-standing Russian-language coverage of politics, security, and human rights; a larger incumbent serving overlapping audiences interested in Russian affairs.
• BBC Russian Service: Major broadcaster's Russian-language news operation covering Russian affairs including security services; much larger and broader in scope, but overlaps on subject matter and Russian-language audience.

Emerging players

• Coda Story: Independent investigative outlet that has reported on Russia-related transnational repression and security topics; partial overlap with Agentura's niche, particularly on cross-border repression stories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agentura.ru

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 Agentura