TASS traces its history back to the St. Petersburg Telegraph Agency (SPTA), whose first working day was September 1 of 1904. The decision to establish the SPTA was made by Emperor Nicholas II. "The agency has the purpose to report political, financial, economic, commercial and other information of public interest inside the Empire and abroad", - said the message in the "Government Herald" of August 30, 1904. Since that time, the Agency has abided with the tasks set on its establishment, never changed its national status and never ceased its activities, objectively and promptly communicating information about key events in Russia and the world.
In different years, prominent politicians, writers, artists and public figures worked and co-operated with the Agency, among them being Vladimir Mayakovsky, Konstantin Paustovsky, Kukryniksy (Mikhail Kupriyanov, Porfiry Krylov and Nikolai Sokolov), Boris Efimov, Alexander Deineka, Sergei Mikhalkov, Vasily Lebedev-Kumach, and Samuil Marshak.
Today, TASS is one of the most authoritative and cited news agencies in Russia and worldwide, producing about three thousand reports in six languages and about one thousand photo- and video-materials per day from its resident correspondents in Russia and abroad. Regional information centers in St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Ekaterinburg and Pyatigorsk, dozens of news offices in the country, as well as 59 representative offices in 54 countries make it possible to promptly receive and distribute unbiased information to the widest possible audience.
The souvenir sheet presents a drawing in the style of the Agency's artistic project - propaganda posters ROSTA Windows of Satire, which were published in 1919-1921.
| Paper |
Printing method |
Perforation |
Format of the stamp |
Format of the block |
Edition |
| Chalk surfaced |
Offset + security system |
Frame 12:12¼ |
30 × 42 mm |
65 × 80 mm |
17 thousand blocks |