TASS stands for T(elegrafnoye) A(genstvo) S(ovetskovo) S(oyuza) - aka Telegraphic Agency of the Soviet Union. Isn't it kind of weird that the Russians haven't changed the name of the news agency? Imagine if the Germans had kept using the Nazi-era name for their news agency, DNB (Deutsches Nachrichtenbüro).
Its a bit of sarcasm considering that Pravda is their ‘official’ paper and means truth....