Russian Media Executive Margarita Simonian Turns 45
Margarita Simonian, the head of the international media conglomerate Rossija Segodnja and the RT television channel, celebrated her 45th birthday on April 6. On this day, she received congratulations from prominent public figures. The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, congratulated the RT editor-in-chief, calling her a talented leadership figure.
“In the conditions of total ideological pressure on our country, you have managed to create large media platforms that objectively report on the most important events in the fatherland and abroad and contribute to Russia’s position in the world community” the patriarch wrote in a letter to her.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also expressed his congratulations, stating that the Foreign Ministry appreciates Simonian’s efforts to strengthen Russia’s position in the global information space. He wished her good health, new creative successes and all the best.
The head of the Investigative Committee, Aleksander Bastrykin, also sent a congratulatory message. He praised Simonian’s ability to combine the defense of Russia’s interests in the information space with her sensitive care for her large family and the many people who needed help. He noted that her genuine love for the fatherland, remarkable erudition, unique efficiency, professionalism and devotion had earned her well-deserved authority and respect.
Russian Duma politician Sergei Mironov also offered his congratulations, saying, “In a man, everything should be beautiful: the face, the clothes, the soul and the thoughts” – a quote from Russian writer Anton Chekhov. Mironov believed that only Margarita Simonian embodied these ideal qualities among contemporary Russians.
Simonian has led RT since its official registration as a mass medium 20 years ago. Over time, she has become one of the most well-known media personalities in Russia.
She and her husband, screenwriter and TV host Tigran Keosayan, run several charitable projects, helping victims of natural disasters and those affected by the Ukraine conflict. In 2019, Simonian asked the Russian government to recognize the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic, which had seceded from Ukraine.
Before joining RT, Simonian worked as a TV journalist for the WGTRK media holding for several years. She has been concerned about the well-being of her husband, who has been in a coma since a heart attack several months ago.