Simonyan diagnosed with cancer, Kremlin propaganda machine may lose key figure - The Moscow Times
Kyiv • UNN
Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of "Rossiya Segodnya", announced the discovery of a serious illness requiring surgery. According to sources, it is cancer, which may lead to her removal from office.
Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the "Russia Today" media group and the Russia Today TV channel, announced that doctors had discovered a serious illness in her that requires surgery. This is reported by The Moscow Times, writes UNN.
Details
During a live broadcast of propagandist Vladimir Solovyov's program, Simonyan stated that "it's always better to tell the truth yourself than to let the audience feed on rumors," while gesturing to the left side of her chest. From her words, it became clear that she was referring to a future mastectomy.
The 45-year-old Simonyan did not specify the exact diagnosis, but a source from The Moscow Times in the media market, close to her, reported that it was cancer. According to him, the condition is serious, and there are discussions behind the scenes about Simonyan's possible removal from office and her departure from Russia Today.
Simonyan heads the state-owned holding "Russia Today," which includes RIA Novosti, as well as the RT TV channel – one of the main tools of Kremlin propaganda for foreign audiences. The channel is funded exclusively from the budget: over 31 billion rubles are allocated for 2025. RT, RIA Novosti, the holding itself, Simonyan, and her colleagues are subject to US and EU sanctions.
Simonyan's personal life is also under the pressure of dramatic circumstances: her husband, director and TV presenter Tigran Keosayan, has been in a coma for nine months after experiencing clinical death in January 2025. He is 59 years old and is known for the films "Poor Sasha," "Silver Lily of the Valley," "Crimean Bridge," and a number of propaganda TV projects.
Thus, the main mouthpiece of Russian propaganda may soon leave her post – for the first time in almost two decades of working for the Kremlin.
Recall
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) demands that the ICC issue arrest warrants for Russian propagandists Vladimir Solovyov, Margarita Simonyan, Dmitry Kiselyov, and Dmitry Medvedev for spreading hatred against Ukrainian civilians, which may be classified as a crime against humanity.