Rossiya Segodnya media group editor-in-chief and RT TV channel editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan reported that she has been diagnosed with a serious illness and is scheduled for surgery. She made the statement on the Rossiya 1 show Evening with Vladimir Solovyov on Sept. 7, then uploading a clip of the show to her Telegram channel.
The disclosure was unusual in Russia’s propaganda ecosystem, where figures close to the Kremlin traditionally project strength and invulnerability. Simonyan, one of the most visible faces of Moscow’s disinformation machine, acknowledged that she had been diagnosed with what she called a “terrible, severe illness,” though she declined to specify the nature of her condition.
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“It is always better to tell the truth yourself than to let the audience feed on rumors,” she remarked, presenting the confession as a gesture of candor.
She appeared on the show wearing the Insignia of St. Olga, Third Class, which had been awarded to her the previous day by Patriarch Kirill.
“This week I was diagnosed with a terrible, severe illness. Tomorrow I have surgery, right here, beneath this medal... I felt it was my duty to appear on air today and tell the truth,” Simonyan said.
She also reminded the audience that her husband – film director and TV host Tigran Keosayan – has been in a coma for nine months. “As we say in Russia, when trouble comes, open the gates. In our home, the gates are not just open anymore – they’ve been blown away by the winds of fate,” she remarked.
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Patriarch Kirill bestowed Simonyan the Insignia of St. Olga, Third Class, on Sept. 6 for her “contribution to preserving traditional values in society.”
Simonyan has been one of the most belligerent champions of Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine for years, discounting Western condemnation at every turn, making excuses for atrocities, and threatening to raise the stakes.
Simonyan’s announcement followed increased speculation about the health of other Russian officials, including Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, whose public appearances have become increasingly rare and have sparked rumors of serious illness.
Simonyan is 45, while Keosayan is 59. The couple, married since 2022, has three children. In early January, Simonyan revealed that Keosayan had suffered clinical death and has since remained in a coma, noting that he had long suffered from serious heart disease. That same month, President Vladimir Putin granted Keosayan the title of People’s Artist of Russia.
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