While its distant heritage is as a "polite propaganda" tool of the Soviet and Russian government, since 1995 it has been privately owned and published by a US company, Storyworkz, Inc.[1] In October 1956, a new English language magazine, The USSR, appeared on newsstands in major US cities.

[2][3][4] Meanwhile, at newsstands in Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev and other Soviet cities, Amerika magazine made its second debut.

[5] However, in 1956, the American and Soviet governments agreed to exchange magazines and Amerika was reborn and published in return for distribution of The USSR in the United States.

Yet it sought to present an informed view of Russian culture, history, scientific achievements and the various peoples inhabiting the Soviet Union.

In January 2020, the parent company changed its name from Russian Information Services to Storyworkz, to reflect its new, broader publishing and business activities.