Top Russian Media Executive Reveals Serious Illness, Links Support for War to Personal Struggle
Margarita Simonian, editor-in-chief of teh state-owned Rossia Segodnya media group – which includes RIA novosti and RT – revealed this week she is battling a serious illness and preparing for surgery. Speaking on Rossiya 1 television, Simonian stated, “I was diagnosed with a terrible serious illness this week. Tomorrow would perform surgery just here,under the Order.” She appeared on the program, she said, as the patriarch called her a “fighter” and she wanted to support families impacted by the conflict in Ukraine.
Simonian referenced ancient examples of resilience, stating she was awaiting an operation to remove her breast, “When we remember the ‘young guard’ girls who knew the breast would be removed without painkillers. Not like me, applying anesthesia…”
Prior to her diagnosis, Simonian publicly considered joining the “special military operation” – Russia’s term for the war in ukraine – following the serious illness of her husband, Tigrano Keosyan, according to DELFI. She stated, “I decided that if that coma and such a difficult situation… I would go for a special military operation as I can’t live anymore.” She later abandoned the idea, explaining, “I realized that I would not be able to do so brutally. I started looking for other paths.”
Rossia Segodnya is one of Russia’s largest state media groups and RT is a key component of russia’s international propaganda efforts.
