Margarita Simonovna Simonyan is a Russian propagandist, editor-in-chief of the “Rossiya Segodnya” news agency, and head of the “Russia Today” television channel.
Place of Birth, Education
She was born on April 6, 1980, in Krasnodar, Russian Federation (RF). She attended the local specialized language school No. 36.
She received her higher education at Kuban State University. In particular, she graduated from Vladimir Pozner’s School of Television Arts.
According to the propagandist, her great-grandmother allegedly survived the Armenian Genocide and fled from Trabzon to Crimea in 1915. Her paternal grandparents lived there. Her relatives on her mother’s side lived near Adler, in the Sochi area.
Career
From February 1999 to January 2000, Simonyan worked as a correspondent for the “Krasnodar” television and radio company. She also covered the fighting in Chechnya beginning in late 1999.
In 2000, she became the lead editor of news programs at TRK “Krasnodar.”
In 2001, she was appointed as a correspondent for the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VTRK) in Rostov-on-Don. A year later, she joined the presidential press pool.
In 2004, she covered the terrorist attack in Beslan. A year later, at the age of 25, she became the head of the Russia Today television channel. She also hosted the programs “What’s Happening?” on REN TV and “Iron Ladies” on NTV.
On December 31, 2013, she was appointed editor-in-chief of the “Russia Today” news agency.
In 2010, she published the book *To Moscow!*.
She has been a member of the board of directors of “Channel One” since 2011. She also served as vice president of the National Association of Television and Radio Broadcasters and is a member of the Russian Television Academy.
In 2014, Simonyan was added to the list of Russian journalists barred from entering Ukraine. That same year, the magazine *Ogonyok* ranked her 15th on its list of the 100 most influential women in Russia, and a year later, the radio station *Echo of Moscow* placed her 14th on a similar list.
On January 28, 2021, Simonyan called on the Russian authorities to occupy the territories of Ukraine that were under the control of the so-called “DPR” and “LPR.”
In September 2025, it was reported that the propagandist had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Criminal Cases
The propagandist is subject to international sanctions. In particular, criminal cases have been opened against her in Ukraine under several articles of the Criminal Code:
- Article 442, Part 2—genocide;
- Article 110, Part 2—an attack on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine;
- Article 436—propaganda for war;
- Article 436-2, Part 3—justifying and denying the Russian Federation’s armed aggression against Ukraine, and glorifying its participants.
Marital Status
From 2022 to 2025, she was married to director and propagandist Tigran Keosayan. They had been living together since 2012.
In August 2013, she gave birth to her daughter Maryana; in September 2014, to her son Bagrat; and in October 2019, to her daughter Maro.
