The Telegraph News Agency of Russia TASS dates back to September 1, 1904, the moment when the St. Petersburg Telegraph Agency (SPTA) started working, created upon the order of Nikolai II.

The agency’s staff comprised of 70 employees, and journalists accounted only for the one tenth of this amount. Staff who engaged in attracting commercial information was united in a separate structure.

As August 19, 1914 St. Petersburg was renamed into Petrograd, the St. Petersburg Telegraph Agency (SPTA) was renamed into Petrograd Telegraph Agency (PTA).

In March 1918, PTA together with government moved to Moscow, where in April of the same year it merged with the Press Bureau of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. September 7, 1918 this organization was given the name of Russian Telegraph Agency (ROSTA) under the auspices of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. During the military intervention and civil war, the art of agitation poster known as ROSTA Windows emerged. In the art group of ROSTA Windows, there were young talented artists, poets and journalists, among them — Vladimir Mayakovsky, Mikhail Cheremnykh, Ivan Malyutin.

July 10, 1925, the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee issued a resolution to create the central Soviet information provider, the Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union of Socialist Republics — TASS. Many considered the TASS abbreviation the official voice of Moscow, and the words “TASS is authorized to make a statement…” that started the most important messages of the agency became a signature phrase.

In January 1992, after Russia proclaimed its sovereignty, the agency was named Information Telegraph Agency of Russia – ITAR-TASS. The information network of ITAR-TASS has 42 correspondent offices and regional centers in Russia, as well as 75 foreign offices. The creative team of the news agency is more than 500 qualified journalists.

Look through this gallery by ITAR-TASS featuring informal pictures of the agency’s crew throughout the years.