Vladimir Tabak, the leader of the autonomous nonprofit ANO Dialogue, announced plans to establish the International Fact-Checking Association, a framework intended to counter counterfeit content and misinformation beyond Russia’s borders. The statement was attributed to him by Lenta.ru, signaling a push toward coordinated, cross-border verification efforts reported by Russian media.
Tabak outlined that the new association would actively pursue international activities, coordinating with partners across continents, sharing methodology, and developing common standards for assessing online claims. For readers in Canada and the United States, the announcement underscores the growing role of transnational fact-checking networks in preserving credible public discourse.
He described a Moscow-based forum on anti-counterfeiting scheduled for November 20, where the organization would present a memorandum and introduce its first participating partners. This step, he indicated, aims to formalize collaboration with media watchdogs and research groups abroad while inviting additional participants in the future.
According to Tabak, the overarching objective is to work with countries considered friendly to Russia to create services that enable the debunking of misinformation in other nations, leveraging shared tools and data streams to enhance credibility across borders. Observers in North America may view this as part of a broader trend toward multinational information integrity initiatives.
On October 30, the Dialogue organization announced that it had filed a lawsuit in a U.S. court against the FBI, arguing that the intelligence service disseminated false information about the organization. ANO Dialogue recalled that in early September the FBI, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Treasury had accused the nonprofit of spreading misinformation, while Russian authorities have positioned it as a principal operator in countering fake news within Russia.
On September 4, U.S. officials announced the seizure of 32 internet domains said to have been used in a malicious influence campaign attributed to the Russian government. Documents suggest these domains are linked to the Social Design Agency, the Struktura Group of Companies, and ANO Dialogue, which face American sanctions, a report carried by TASS.
Earlier, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions against ANO Dialogue, illustrating a widening pattern of international scrutiny over Russia-linked information activities and the responses of Western governments to alleged influence operations.