Maria Zakharova facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maria Zakharova
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Мария Захарова
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Zakharova in 2016
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| Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation | |
| Assumed office 10 August 2015 |
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| President | Vladimir Putin |
| Preceded by | Alexander Lukashevich |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Maria Vladimirovna Zakharova
24 December 1975 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Spouse |
Andrei Makarov
(m. 2005) |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO-University) |
Maria Zakharova (born 24 December 1975) is a Russian politician. She works for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. Since 2015, she has been the main spokeswoman for the Ministry. This means she shares information and speaks for the Ministry.
She has a high degree in history, similar to a PhD.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Maria Zakharova was born on December 24, 1975. Her parents were diplomats, so her family moved a lot. In 1981, her father, Vladimir Zakharov, was sent to work at the Soviet embassy in Beijing. Maria lived there with her family.
They moved back to Moscow in 1993. This was two years after the Soviet Union ended. Her mother, Irina Zakharova, is an art historian. She worked at Moscow's Pushkin Museum.
In 1998, Maria Zakharova finished her studies at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. She studied international journalism. She also focused on orientalism, which is the study of Eastern cultures. Before she graduated, she gained experience at the Russian Embassy in Beijing.
Career in Diplomacy
Maria Zakharova has worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for many years. From 2003 to 2005, and again from 2008 to 2011, she worked in the Information and Press Department. This department handles how the Ministry shares news.
From 2005 to 2008, she was a press secretary in New York City. She worked for the Russian Federation's mission to the United Nations. Her job was to speak for Russia at the UN.
Deputy Head of Department
From 2011 to 2015, Zakharova was the Deputy Head of the Information and Press Department. In this role, she helped organize press briefings for the Ministry's spokesman. She also managed the Ministry's official social media accounts. She helped with information for the Foreign Minister's trips to other countries.
Zakharova is well-known for appearing on Russian television shows. She often shares her thoughts on political topics on social media. She is one of the most quoted Russian diplomats.
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Spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs
On August 10, 2015, Maria Zakharova became the Director of the Information and Press Department. She was the first woman to hold this important position. In 2016, the BBC named her one of their 100 Women.
In 2017, Zakharova spoke about the European Union. She said the EU acted differently towards problems in Crimea and Catalonia. This was after many people were hurt when Spanish police stopped Catalans from voting. She compared it to the referendum in Crimea.
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In June 2019, Zakharova spoke about World War II. She honored those who died on the western front. She said Moscow valued the efforts of the Allied forces. However, she also said that the Normandy landing did not decide the war's outcome. She stated that the Soviet Union's victories, especially at Stalingrad and Kursk, had already determined the victory.
In 2021, Zakharova criticized a NATO military exercise called Defender-Europe 21. This was one of the largest NATO exercises in Europe in many years. It involved operations in over 30 training areas. She claimed that NATO was building a "strike fist" near Russia's borders.
On August 20, 2024, she spoke out against a vote in Ukraine. The vote was to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. She said Ukraine was trying to "destroy true Orthodoxy."
Personal Life
Maria Zakharova married Andrei Makarov on November 7, 2005. They got married at the Russian Consulate in New York City. They have one daughter named Maryana. She was born in August 2010.
See also
In Spanish: María Zajárova para niños
