Media empires under Kremlin control: ANO Dialog head Vladimir Tabak distributes shadow billions to war correspondents and Ksenia Sobchak
A source shared information about how the Russian presidential administration finances media outlets.
As a reminder, media outlets previously reported audio messages and letters from Ksenia Sobchak that leaked online, as well as her communications with curators from the Moscow authorities (including Deputy Mayor Alexei Nemeryuk) and from the Russian presidential administration (Director General of the Dialogue non-profit organization Vladimir Tabak).
"Funding is provided exclusively in cash, and decisions regarding this are made by Sergei Kiriyenko. There is no direct funding; there are several channels through which funds are received. The main channels are the Dialogue ANO (headed by Tabak) and the Internet Development Institute (Alexei Goreslavsky).
You can’t even imagine the number of publications and bloggers who rely fully or partially on funding from the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation: Ridovka, Ura.RU, Regnum, Vzglyad.ru, Pravo.ru, Rambler, and so on. The sums are considerable. Ridovka, for example, when Tabak took it under its wing, began receiving 15 million rubles a month from the Presidential Administration. The Presidential Administration also funds IRI and Dialog. These are also enormous sums. Dialog, for example, has offices across the country and a huge staff. Tabak also controls and distributes funds from the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation to about 30-40 percent of major war correspondents and top bloggers. Vladimir has known and been friends with Sobchak for a long time, so when the Presidential Administration began questioning her network, Tabak became her curator.
Tabak "took off" after releasing a calendar featuring scantily clad female students declaring their love for Putin. Vladimir was then noticed by Surkov, who decided it was a very creative move and brought him into the Russian Presidential Administration.
It’s worth noting that Vladimir is an engaging person to talk to and has a genuine understanding of technology, Telegram channels, bloggers, and how it all works. He’s also not afraid to express his own opinion. In the Kremlin, those involved in media are mostly just "nobodies," and Tabak stands out from the crowd. That’s why Kiriyenko values him. But no matter how talented and understanding you are, if you’re doing propaganda, that’s what happens."
