Margarita Simonyan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Margarita Simonyan
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| Маргарита Симоньян | |
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Simonyan in 2017
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Margarita Simonovna Simonyan
6 April 1980 Krasnodar, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
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| Alma mater | Kuban State University |
| Occupation | Editor-in-chief |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Tigran Keosayan
(m. 2022) |
| Children | 4 |
Margarita Simonovna Simonyan (born 6 April 1980) is a well-known Russian media leader. She is the editor-in-chief of RT, a Russian TV channel. She also leads Rossiya Segodnya, a big state-owned media group.
Simonyan started as a journalist in the 2000s. She reported on the Second Chechen War. Later, she worked for local TV in Krasnodar. She also worked as a special reporter for the "Vesti" TV news program. At just 25 years old, she became the head of Russia Today, which is now called RT.
Some countries have placed restrictions on Simonyan. This is because they see her as a key figure in Russian government media.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Margarita Simonyan was born in Krasnodar, a city in southern Russia. Her family is of Armenian background. Her parents' families came from Armenia. They had to leave their homes long ago.
Her father's family came from a city called Trabzon. They moved to Crimea in 1915. Later, during World War II, they were moved to the Urals region. Her mother's family came from Sochi. They had also left Armenia earlier.
Simonyan says she is both Armenian and Russian. Her family owns a restaurant in a town near Sochi. She decided early on that she wanted to be a journalist. She first worked for a local newspaper. Then she worked for a local TV station. She did this while studying journalism at Kuban State University.
In 1995, she spent a year in Bristol, New Hampshire, USA. She was there as an exchange student. This was part of the FLEX Program.
Journalism Career and Leadership
Simonyan worked as a correspondent for a local TV station. She reported on the Second Chechen War. She also covered serious floods in the Krasnodar region. She even received an award for her brave reporting.
In 2002, she became a reporter for Russia's national "Rossiya" TV channel. She covered the 2004 Beslan school hostage crisis. Simonyan was one of the first reporters to arrive. She saw the terrible events unfold. She later said it was the worst thing that ever happened to her. She moved to Moscow after that. There, she joined the group of reporters covering the Kremlin.
She was also a vice-president of a national TV and Radio Broadcasters group. In 2010, her first book was published. It was called Heading to Moscow!.
In 2018, Simonyan wrote a movie script. The film was called The Crimean Bridge. Made with Love!. Her husband, Tigran Keosayan, directed it.
Leading RT and Rossiya Segodnya
Simonyan was only 25 when she became editor-in-chief of RT in 2005. At that time, it was known as Russia Today. But she had been working in journalism since she was 18. She said that her young age often made people wonder how she got the job. Some believe she was chosen because she has good connections. She is known to be loyal to the government.
RT began broadcasting on December 10, 2005. It had a team of 300 journalists. About 70 of them were from outside Russia. Simonyan often answers questions about RT's news and political views. When RT started, Simonyan said it wanted to be like the BBC or CNN. She said it would show "Russia's opinion of the world." She also said it would give a "more balanced picture" of Russia. She stated that the government would not tell them what to say.
She later said that RT grew by being bold and talking about important issues. She explained that RT's job was not to make Russia look perfect. However, the station has often been criticized by Western countries. They say it shows a biased view. Simonyan has said that "There is no objectivity." She believes we can only get close to the truth by hearing many different voices.
She talked about RT's coverage of the 2008 South Ossetia war. In that war, Russia supported South Ossetia against Georgia. She said that RT was the only English-speaking channel showing South Ossetia's side of the story. She said that RT is open about being a Russian station. She added that they see the world from a Russian point of view.
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On December 31, 2013, she also became the editor-in-chief of a new government news agency. This agency is called Rossiya Segodnya. She leads both organizations at the same time. In May 2016, she was not allowed to enter Ukraine. This was because Ukraine had placed restrictions on her.
In April 2022, Simonyan suggested changing the Russian Constitution. She thought the rule against censorship should be removed. She said that too much freedom of speech could harm Russia. She suggested looking at China as an example. She described China as a "non-free but prosperous country."
Restrictions from Other Countries
Simonyan has faced restrictions from several countries.
- In 2022, the United Kingdom government placed restrictions on her. This was related to the Russo-Ukrainian War.
- Also in 2022, the European Union placed restrictions on her. They called her "a central figure of the Russian Government propaganda." They said she was responsible for actions that harm Ukraine's independence.
- In January 2023, Ukraine also placed restrictions on Simonyan. This was for her support of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- In September 2024, the United States placed restrictions on her and RT. This was due to claims of interfering in the 2024 elections.
The "Beaver-Eater" Nickname
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Bobroedka (which means "beaver-eater" in Russian) is a nickname for Simonyan. It became a popular internet meme in Russia. This nickname came about in late 2012. Simonyan decided to try eating beaver meat. She told her social media followers about it. She said she would cook a beaver's head. She also planned to marinate and fry the rest of the meat.
People found her choice of food unusual. Eating beaver is not common. After this, the nickname "bobroedka" stuck with her. The nickname is often used in a joking or teasing way. Many internet memes were made about it. They often showed pictures of Margarita and beavers together.
Simonyan has joked about the nickname herself. She once said she would cook hamsters next. This made people even more interested in her cooking. The nickname was often used by a political figure named Alexei Navalny. He and Simonyan had many disagreements. Navalny would often bring up the "beaver-eater" theme.
In April 2021, Simonyan even sent beaver meat to the prison where Navalny was. She posted photos of beaver sausage online. She joked that she sent him a "yummy package." This act caused a lot of discussion on social media. Simonyan herself has said she doesn't like the nickname. She sometimes uses it in her posts, but she thinks it is old-fashioned.
Personal Life
Margarita Simonyan was once married to journalist Andrey Blagodyrenko. They had a daughter named Mariana in 2013. She is now married to Tigran Keosayan. He is a Russian-Armenian film director. They often work together. They have three children together.
Simonyan speaks Russian and English very well. She has said she wishes she knew Armenian. But her family never spoke it at home. This was because of different Armenian dialects.
Awards and Honors
- Ranked fifth in Forbes' 2017 list of Most Powerful Women In Media/Entertainment.
Russia:
Medal "For Strengthening the Combat Commonwealth" (2005)
Order of Friendship (2007)
Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation (2010)
Order For Merit to the Fatherland, 4th class (2014)
Order of Alexander Nevsky (2019)
Armenia:
Movses Khorenatsi Medal (2010)
South Ossetia:
Order of Friendship (2008)
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See also
In Spanish: Margarita Simonián para niños
- Mikhail Lesin
- Russian information war against Ukraine
