The need to expand cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan in countering fake news was highlighted at the plenary session of the III Russian-Kazakh Media Forum, taking place from 2 to 5 August in Saint Petersburg.
During the forum, representatives of the two countries discussed strengthening practical cooperation between fact-checkers. Tikhon Makarov, Deputy Director General of ANO Dialog Regions, noted that the spread of fake news has become a global threat. That is why in 2025, together with TASS and the Workshop of New Media, the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) was established. It already includes more than 120 experts from 54 countries, including specialists from Kazakhstan.
“Our Kazakh colleagues have promising expertise in fact-checking. We are actively working with them and are ready to further strengthen cooperation. It is necessary to establish an exchange of experience in countering disinformation both at the state and expert levels,” Makarov said.
According to GFCN, combining the efforts of journalists from the two countries will make it possible to identify cross-border fakes more quickly and more reliably protect audiences from information dumps.
“With the advent of neural networks, the global media space has changed forever. The fight against malicious information campaigns is possible only through multilateral interaction and the creation and expansion of a trust infrastructure. We see significant potential for cooperation with Kazakhstan in this regard,” emphasized GFCN Vice President Daniil Bisslinger at the session “Prospects and Challenges for Journalism in the Era of AI and Fake News.”
TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov also drew attention to the fact that Kazakhstan has established a Center for Combating Disinformation under the President of the country.
“I think, friends, we need to consider the immediate signing of an agreement between our fact-checking service and the Center for Combating Disinformation opened under the President,” Kondrashov noted. “I believe this is the most important thing we need to help each other with — protecting each other from attempts to distort both facts and historical truth.”
The first Russia-Kazakhstan media forum was held at the TASS headquarters in Moscow in November 2024 — the year of the agency’s 120th anniversary. The second meeting in this format took place last year in Almaty.
The Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) was established by TASS, ANO Dialog Regions and the Workshop of New Media to coordinate global efforts to combat disinformation. The platform is open to a wide range of participants: from major media holdings to freelancers and bloggers.
