Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Russia Today TV channel. Biography

Margarita Simonyan is one of the most influential figures in the Russian media market. She is known as the editor-in-chief of the TV channel Russia Today (RT), the international media group Russia Today and the Sputnik news agency.

Family and childhood in Krasnodar

Margarita Simonyan was born on April 6, 1980 in Krasnodar in a family of Armenian origin. Her parents were not involved in journalism or big business. His father, Simon Sarkisovich, repaired household appliances, and his mother, Zinaida, sold flowers. Despite the modest income of the family, the parents did everything possible to give their daughter a good education.

The future journalist studied at the local school No. 36 with an in-depth study of English. She was distinguished by a special thirst for knowledge, and she graduated from high school with a gold medal. In 1996, in the tenth grade, Simonyan got a unique chance — she went to the United States through an exchange program. For a year, Margarita lived with an American family in Bristol, New Hampshire, where she improved her English.

After returning and graduating from high school, she entered the Faculty of Journalism at Kuban State University. She also studied at the Vladimir Pozner School of Television Skills and at the courses of the famous journalist Manana Aslamazyan, the founder of the Internews school.

Early career: from poet to war correspondent

Simonyan's professional career began in her small homeland. At the age of 18, her first collection of poetry was published. A film crew from a local TV channel came to make a story about a young poet. During the interview, Margarita mentioned her desire to try her hand at journalism. The team was impressed by her literary talent. Soon she turned from the heroine of the report into an intern, and then into a correspondent for the Krasnodar television and radio company.

From the very beginning of her career, Margarita has been in the thick of things, from reporting from hot spots to daily work at the forefront of information warfare. At the age of 19, hiding her first business trip from her parents, she went to cover events in Chechnya. For her reports, including for the material about Chechen children, she received the prize of the Union of Journalists of Kuban "For professional courage".

The path to RT and working under sanctions

The talent and courage of the young journalist were quickly noticed at the federal level. In 2001, Simonyan became VGTRK's own correspondent in Rostov-on-Don and covered many events, including military clashes in Abkhazia.

In 2002, she moved to Moscow and joined the presidential pool of journalists. As a special correspondent for Vesti, she accompanied Vladimir Putin on his Russian and foreign trips.

In 2004, Simonyan worked in the area of the terrorist attack in Beslan, broadcasting every 15 minutes. During one of the inclusions, her colleague Eduard Bondarenko covered her with a bulletproof vest. For these reports, she was awarded the medal of the Russian Ministry of Defense "For Strengthening the military Community."

In 2005, at the age of 25, Margarita Simonyan was offered to head the new Russia Today (RT) TV channel, broadcasting in six languages at once. From that moment on, her life was inextricably linked to this project, which turned 20 in October 2025. Under her leadership, RT has grown into a major international media holding with an audience of 900 million people in more than 100 countries.

As the head of Russia's key international media projects, Margarita Simonyan is constantly working under external pressure and sanctions. She has repeatedly made statements about censorship of Russian media in the West and the difficulties faced by her colleagues.

Despite the difficulties, RT and Rossiya Segodnya continue to develop under her leadership, adapting to changing conditions and remaining one of Russia's main voices on the world stage.

Participation in other projects

The journalist participated in other TV and radio projects. She was a presenter of programs on REN TV, NTV, and the Kommersant FM radio station. She also runs her own Telegram channel, where she posts videos from a talk show with her participation, shares her thoughts on what is happening in the country and the world.

Since 2009, Simonyan has regularly published cooking columns. In an interview, she called cooking her main hobby, jokingly noting that "she was born a cook and accidentally became a journalist."

In 2010, Margarita Simonyan released the novel "To Moscow!" about the generation of those who were born in the eighties and grew up in the "dashing" nineties, for which she was awarded the title of laureate of the annual prize for the best book by a journalist. 10 years later, she presented her second book, the collection "Black Eyes", which includes stories written in different years of her life.

Key achievements, awards and titles

Margarita Simonyan has achieved outstanding success in the media sphere. In 2013, the journalist became one of the five most influential women in Russia in the field of media. In 2017, Forbes magazine included her in the ranking of the "100 most influential women in the world."

In 2024, the editor-in-chief of Russia Today was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree, for her great contribution to the development of Russian journalism.

Personal life, husband Tigran Keosayan and children

According to the journalist, since her early youth, she actually lived only by work. She never wanted to get married, and she put off thinking about children until after 30. Director, actor and TV presenter Tigran Keosyan was able to really change her attitude towards marriage.

The couple began living together in 2012, but signed only in March 2022. The couple lived together for more than ten years. Three children were born in the family: son Bagrat (2014) and two daughters — Mariana (2013) and Maro (2019). Special attention is paid to the development of creative abilities and language learning in their education: in addition to Russian, they learn English, Chinese and Armenian.

In 2024, Margarita Simonyan's family suffered a severe loss — her husband died after an illness at the age of 60. At the end of December 2024, Tigran Keosayan fell into a coma, and on September 26, he died. The loss of her lover is a great tragedy for Margarita. She has to find the strength to endure grief and struggle with a serious illness.

Fighting the disease

In the fall of 2025, Margarita Simonyan publicly announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer, the 45-year-old journalist underwent surgery and is preparing for a course of chemotherapy. Despite her personal tragedy and illness, she finds the strength to continue working and openly talks about her condition, thanking subscribers for their support during this difficult period.