Simonyan Margarita Simonovna: biography, personal life and interesting facts. Margarita Simonyan and her secret romance in plain sight Margarita Simonyan editor-in-chief of the Russia Today TV channel
Margarita Simonovna Simonyan. Born on April 6, 1980 in Krasnodar. Russian journalist, TV presenter, screenwriter. Chief editor of Russia Today TV channel (since 2015), Rossiya Segodnya agency (since 2013), Sputnik agency (since 2014).
Father - Simon Sarkisovich Simonyan, was born and raised in Sverdlovsk, later his parents moved to Krasnodar. Our ancestors come from Crimea, where they fled from the Turkish genocide at the beginning of the 20th century. He worked as a refrigerator repairman.
Mother, originally from Sochi, sold flowers at the market.
Grandfather - Sarkis Simonyan, participant of the Great Patriotic War. My grandparents' family was repressed in 1944.
Younger sister - Alice.
Most of her relatives live in Adler.
Although Margarita's parents are purebred Armenians, however, according to her, they had an absolutely Russian family. Her parents speak Armenian, but in different dialects. Margarita herself does not speak Armenian at all. I visited Armenia as an adult for work reasons.
Graduated from special school No. 36 in Krasnodar with in-depth study foreign languages. In tenth grade for improvement in English was sent as an exchange to New Hampshire (USA). After leaving school, she entered and graduated from the Faculty of Journalism of the Kuban State University and the School of Television Excellence.
From February 1999 to January 2000, he was a correspondent for the Krasnodar television and radio company. She worked as a war correspondent, covering the Chechen conflict. In January 2000, for a series of military reports, she received the Kuban Union of Journalists Award "For Professional Courage".
In May 2000 she received the II Prize All-Russian competition regional television and radio companies for reporting on Chechen children vacationing in Anapa. Appointed leading editor of information programs of the Krasnodar TV and Radio Broadcasting Company.
In September 2000, she received a presidential scholarship.
In February 2001, she was appointed VGTRK’s own correspondent in Rostov-on-Don. Then she became a special correspondent for Vesti. Covered military clashes in the Kodori Gorge of Abkhazia. In the fall of 2002, she became part of the presidential pool of journalists. In September 2004, she covered the terrorist attack in Beslan.
Since the founding of the first Russian news channel broadcasting in English around the clock in 2005, Russia Today (now RT) has been its editor-in-chief. She took up this post at the age of 25. Subsequently, she also became the editor-in-chief of the Arabic-language (Rusia al-Yawm) and Spanish-language (RT Español) versions of RT.
In 2010 she published the book "To Moscow!". She said about her work: “This is a story about the country, about love and about provincial boys and girls born in the 1980s. We all dreamed of going to Moscow for better life, and none of us knew that we had to be careful in our wishes - they could come true."
From April 2011 to February 2012, she hosted the weekly analytical program “What’s Going On?” on the REN TV channel. From October to November 2012 - host of the weekly column “Point of View” on the Kommersant FM radio station. From February 17 to June 23, 2013, together with she was the host of a political talk show on the NTV channel “Iron Ladies”.
In 2012, she played the role of a journalist in the melodrama Three Comrades.
Margarita Simonyan in the series "Three Comrades"
In 2012, she was included in the list of the hundred most influential women in Russia, taking 33rd place. In 2013, she entered the top five most influential women in Russia in the field of media.
On December 31, 2013, the general director of the Rossiya Segodnya news agency, Dmitry Kiselev, appointed Margarita Simonyan as editor-in-chief of the international news agency Rossiya Segodnya, who also remained at the post of head of RT.
On November 10, 2014, she became the editor-in-chief of the Sputnik news agency, affiliated with the Rossiya Segodnya news agency.
In 2014, she received the national award “Media Manager of Russia” for successfully winning the RT television channel a foreign audience. At the end of 2017, Margarita Simonyan was included by Forbes in the ranking of “100 Most Influential Women in the World” and ranks 52nd.
Since 2013 he has been working as a screenwriter. She was the author of the script for the melodrama “The Sea. Mountains. Expanded clay." In 2017, she acted as a screenwriter for the crime detective film “Actress,” starring.
Socio-political position of Margarita Simonyan
Since 2008 - member of the Academy of Russian Television. Since 2010, he has been vice president of the National Association of Television and Radio Broadcasters. Since June 2011 - member of the board of directors of Channel One.
In 2010-2012 she was a member of the Public Chamber Russian Federation third team.
In 2012, she was a member of the “People's Headquarters” (in Moscow) of a presidential candidate.
In August 2014, the Ukrainian National Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting published a list of 49 journalists and heads of Russian television channels who may be banned from entering Ukraine, which included Simonyan. In May 2016, she was included in the Ukrainian sanctions list by President Petro Poroshenko and was prohibited from entering Ukraine.
Until 2017 - Member of the Public Council at the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the city of Moscow. Since 2017 - Member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.
In January 2018, she was registered as a proxy of Vladimir Putin in the presidential elections on March 18, 2018.
Margarita Simonyan's height: 160 centimeters.
Personal life of Margarita Simonyan:
She lived in a civil marriage with journalist and television producer Andrei Blagodyrenko. They have been together since 2005. However, this relationship eventually ended.
Since 2012, she has been in a relationship with the director. At the time their romance began, Keosayan was married to an actress and had two daughters, but divorced in 2014.
In August 2013, the couple had a daughter, Maryana, and in September 2014, a son, Bagrat. At the end of 2018, it became known about Margarita’s third pregnancy. October 19, 2019, which was named Maro.
The couple is in no hurry to formalize the marriage. : “I have always had a very wary attitude towards legal marriage. I have never been officially married, these are some kind of childhood complexes, I saw enough in my childhood of very unhappy women in marriage. And I had a rejection. I once shocked my parents by declaring at the age of 12: “I will never get married.”
The family owns a restaurant in the Krasnaya Polyana area of Sochi. Margarita said that she opened a restaurant there, fulfilling an old family dream. However, the restaurant business was not a success: “This happened a couple of days before the start of the Sochi Olympics, and whoever dined with us during these fabulous two weeks: Dmitry Kozak, Konstantin Ernst, Oleg Deripaska, Mikhail Prokhorov, Andrei Malakhov, Yana Churikova... But the Olympics ended, the guests left, but the restaurant remained. It was built against the main rule of this business - not where there is high traffic, but right in the courtyard of my grandmother’s house, where my mother was born and raised, and now her sisters, nephews and, "Actually, my grandmother. The location is unfortunate - not in the mountains or by the sea, on an old highway that few people drive on anymore. In general, the restaurant has withered away, we are now trying to rent out the building."
Filmography of Margarita Simonyan:
2012 - Three comrades - journalist
2012 - Deadline (documentary)
Scripts by Margarita Simonyan:
2013 - Sea. Mountains. Expanded clay
2017 -
Bibliography of Margarita Simonyan:
2010 - To Moscow!
Awards for Margarita Simonyan:
Medal "For Strengthening the Military Commonwealth" from the Russian Ministry of Defense (March 9, 2005)
- Order of Friendship (June 27, 2007) - for huge contribution in the development of domestic television and many years of fruitful work
- Order of Friendship (South Ossetia, December 25, 2008) - for objective coverage of events during the period of Georgia’s armed aggression against South Ossetia in August 2008
- Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation (2010)
- Movses Khorenatsi Medal (Armenia, November 18, 2010) - for significant contribution to the development of the field of journalism and high professionalism
- Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (2014) - “for objectivity in covering events in Crimea”
Margarita Simonovna Simonyan- famous Russian journalist, Chief Editor Russia Today TV channel - the international news agency "Russia Today". Margarita Simonyan is also the editor-in-chief of the Sputnik news agency.
early years and education
Father - Simon Simonyan- Refrigerator repairman. Now retired, lives in Krasnodar. He enjoys hunting and fishing.
Mother - Zinaida Simonyan— sold flowers at the market, this is stated in the biography of Margarita Simonyan on Wikipedia.
Margarita has a sister, Alice. Grandfather - Sarkis Simonyan- participant of the Great Patriotic War. Margarita Simonyan wrote in her LJ that her grandfather’s family was repressed. “My wounded great-grandfather watched as his wife and three children, the eldest of whom was my eleven-year-old grandmother Maya Aloeva, caulked them into veal wagons and sent them beyond the Urals.”
Margarita explained there soft sign in your last name. “Grandfather, returning from the war to his native Simferopol, found his house and the houses of his neighbors boarded up and received a generous offer to join the family. Joined. There I met the same repressed fellow countrywoman - my grandmother Maya, who had already grown up. My father was born there. Immediately an enemy of the people. He was five when Khrushchev forgave them. But I still didn’t forgive enough to allow my grandparents to return home to Crimea, where they were born. Then the entire expelled diaspora moved to Krasnodar - ever closer to native land. Finally, they were given passports, where a soft sign was written in front of the “yang” in their surnames. Such a mark. I was born in Krasnodar with the last name Simonyan. I have this mark on me too. I remember,” said Margarita Simonyan.
Margarita Simonyan studied at Krasnodar special school No. 36. In the tenth grade, Margarita went on an exchange trip to the USA (New Hampshire) to improve her English.
Margarita Simonyan graduated from school with a gold medal. The girl received her higher education at the Faculty of Journalism in Kubansky state university. In addition, Simonyan graduated from the School of Television Excellence Vladimir Pozner.
Career of Margarita Simonyan
Margarita Simonyan began her career in journalism in hometown, correspondent for the television and radio company Krasnodar. Margarita’s biography states that her television career began with a collection of poems and a story about her on local TV. After which, from the heroine of the plot, Simonyan turned into an intern, and then began a full-fledged career as a reporter.
From February 1999 to 2000, Margarita worked at the Krasnodar television and radio company.
In 1999, Margarita Simonyan covered fighting in Chechnya. In one interview, Margarita said that she did not tell her parents about her business trip to Chechnya: “When I went to Chechnya for the first time at nineteen, I hid it from my parents. For the only time in my life I deceived them, realizing that they could go crazy from anxiety during these ten days. She said that there would be filming on a ship, at sea, so there would be no communication. And only my sister Alice then kept walking around, feeling something, and asking her parents where Margarita was, what does it mean, at sea, what kind of ship is this, on which there is no connection? This was the beginning of the second war, when Grozny was not even completely surrounded, only 90%. A complete nightmare: shooting, explosions, utter chaos, when you don’t understand where ours are, where the others are, where to go, what to do. When I returned and my father opened the door for me, he was shocked. I came in dirty, dirty, because there was no water anywhere, I brushed my teeth with dried fruit compote. My father says to me: “Where have you been?!”, I answered: “In Chechnya.” He shouted: “Stupid!”, slammed the door, left, he was gone for an hour. Then he returned, silently poured himself a glass, a glass for me and said: “You are my son instead.” Since then I have never drank vodka. I will never forget this."
In January 2000, for a series of war reports, Margarita Simonyan received the Kuban Union of Journalists Award “For Professional Courage.”
In May 2000, Margarita Simonyan received the prize of the II All-Russian competition of regional television and radio companies for her report on Chechen children vacationing in Anapa.
In 2001, Simonyan was appointed as her own correspondent at VGTRK in Rostov-on-Don. Afterwards, Margarita became a special correspondent for Vesti. The young journalist covered military clashes in the Kodori Gorge of Abkhazia.
In 2002, Margarita Simonyan joined the presidential pool of journalists.
In 2004, Simonyan covered terrorist act in Beslan.
In 2005, the English-language TV channel “Russia Today” was created, which was supposed to cover Russia’s position in international events. 25-year-old Margarita Simonyan was appointed editor-in-chief. Later, Simonyan began to oversee the Arabic and Spanish versions of this TV channel.
Margarita Simonyan participated in other projects. For example, in 2011 she was the host of the program “What’s Going On?” on the REN-TV channel, from October to November 2012, Margarita is the host of the weekly Point of View column on the Kommersant FM radio station. In 2013, Margarita Simonyan became the host of the political show “Iron Ladies” on the NTV channel.
Together with the presenter Tina Kandelaki V live Margarita's questions were not always comfortable, but current issues famous politicians and businessmen. However, that same year, the channel's management decided to close the show.
Since June 2011, Margarita Simonyan has been a member of the board of directors of Channel One.
December 31, 2013 General Director of the Rossiya Segodnya news agency Dmitry Kiselev appointed Margarita Simonyan editor-in-chief of the international news agency Rossiya Segodnya. The journalist also remained as head of RT. Since November 10, 2014, Margarita Simonyan has been the editor-in-chief of the Sputnik news agency, affiliated with the Rossiya Segodnya news agency.
Writing and social activity
Margarita Simonyan dreamed of becoming a writer since childhood. And so, in 2010, her first book “To Moscow!” was published. In 2012, on the pages of the Russian Pioneer magazine, Simonyan published an excerpt from her new story “Train”. Margarita also writes culinary articles for this magazine.
Tigran Keosayan Based on the scripts of Margarita Simonyan, he directed the series “Sea. Mountains. Expanded clay" and the film "Actress".
Margarita Simonyan was a member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation of the third composition (2010-2012), the Public Council under the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the city of Moscow and the Public Council under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. Since 2008, Simonyan has been a member of the Russian Television Academy. In 2010, Margarita Simonyan became vice-president of the National Association of Television and Radio Broadcasters.
From January to March 2012, Simonyan was a member of the “People's Headquarters” (in Moscow) of the presidential candidate Vladimir Putin. In January 2018, Margarita became Vladimir Putin's confidant in the presidential elections on March 18, 2018.
Margarita Simonyan was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (2014) - for objectivity in covering events in Crimea, the Order of Friendship (June 27, 2007) - for her great contribution to the development of domestic television and many years of fruitful work, and the Movses medal Khorenatsi and other awards.
Scandals and sanctions concerning Margarita Simonyan
In May 2016, Simonyan was included as President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko on the sanctions list, she is prohibited from entering Ukraine.
In 2017, Russia Today (RT) editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan said that the channel could leave the United States.
“In the worst case scenario, we leave the territory of the United States, we no longer broadcast there,” Simonyan emphasized. — In the worst case scenario, Russia responds in kind towards American media. Which is something I wouldn’t want because I’m a journalist.” She also noted that with this development of events, the channel will use all other available methods of communication with the audience, including the American one.
“What they are doing in relation to us - in fact, they are driving us out of the country, they are now putting us in conditions in which we cannot work. Here it is, the vaunted freedom of speech. Why do they do this? Because, as they see it, we showed a different point of view, and this influenced their elections,” summed up RT’s editor-in-chief, RIA Novosti reported.
Later, news appeared that the RT America television channel registered in the United States as a foreign agent in connection with the requirement of the American Ministry of Justice. Simonyan said that between a criminal case and registration, they chose the latter.
“For which we congratulate American freedom of speech and everyone who still believes in it,” the journalist ironically said.
Margarita Simonyan excites from time to time public opinion with your posts on social networks. In April 2018, a famous journalist wrote that she was forced to call a free ambulance, and then she is ashamed in front of “tired and exhausted doctors in bad shoes” for “the oak parquet, for this second floor, for the three-year-old boy’s separate bedroom, for the English wallpaper and the vintage Italian chandelier.”
“It’s like I stole it all. These tired people in bad shoes who came to save my child. And I shove money at them, of course, and it makes us all feel awkward, but, damn it, at least it’s like this. I worry until the morning, even when the child has fallen asleep and the temperature has subsided. I lived a little under communism, and I really didn’t like it. But I don’t like it the way it is now either,” Margarita wrote, causing a lot of criticism.
In June 2019, an incident hit the news when journalist and FBK lawyer Lyubov Sobol met Margarita Simonyan at the entrance to the Ekho Moskvy radio station and with provocative questions drove her pregnant colleague to the point of losing her senses. Simonyan had to call an ambulance.
Simonyan came on air at the radio station, where Sobol was waiting for her at the entrance with her camera turned on. Sobol asked Simonyan to comment on the information about how Sobyanin allegedly “gives away apartments in Moscow to his subordinates.”
“The Ekhovites say they watched me at the entrance for half an hour. She chased me through the corridors until the good Echo people hid me in Venedikt’s office. A beautiful girl, by the way. But harassing pregnant women along the corridors of a radio station is not best method conducting an election campaign. And it’s not good for karma,” said Margarita Simonyan.
The incident caused a great stir. The official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, published a post on her Facebook page in which she called the sable (with a small letter) an animal.
The editor-in-chief of Ekho Moskvy, Alexei Venediktov, apologized for Sobol’s behavior.
Margarita Simonyan, hospitalized on June 6, told reporters that doctors suspect she is at risk of miscarriage.
“Threat of miscarriage. God willing, it will work out. I’m trying not to open my phone so as not to bump into these people,” the news quoted Margarita as saying.
Personal life of Margarita Simonyan
In her personal life, Margarita Simonyan had an unregistered marriage; in 2005, a television producer and journalist became her common-law husband Andrey Blagodyrenko.
Since 2012, Margarita Simonyan has been in a close relationship with director Tigran Keosayan, who left the family and officially divorced his previous wife in 2014.
“Once I read on Facebook: “Hello, Margarita!” This is Tigran Keosayan. I have long liked you as a journalist and fellow tribesman. Now I was driving in the car and listening to how you were being bullied on the radio, I couldn’t stand it, I decided to support and write that I still remember your reports from Beslan.” That’s how I found out that, firstly, I was being bullied somewhere, and secondly, Tigran Keosayan himself was already interested in my fate,” Simonyan recalled this acquaintance.
The director filmed Margarita in a cameo role in his film “Three Comrades”; Simonyan is also the author of the script for two of his films. In August 2013, Margarita and Tigran had a daughter, Maryana, and in September 2014, a son, Bagrat. The family owns a restaurant in the Krasnaya Polyana area of Sochi.
Margarita wrote that in good relations with Keosayan's previous wife, actress Alena Khmelnitskaya. They posted a photo together with the caption “High relationship.” “She is charming, very kind, smart, open - not to mention a phenomenal beauty. We have nothing to share: Alena is happy, I am happy, Tigran is happy. And thank God,” says Margarita Simonyan.
Margarita wrote that her children, Maryana and Bagrat, speak five languages: Russian, Armenian, English, French and Chinese.
* The non-profit organization “Anti-Corruption Foundation” was included by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation in the register of organizations performing the functions of a foreign agent.
Russian journalist Margarita Simonyan Simonyan has been the editor-in-chief of the Russia Today TV channel (Russia Today) since 2013. When she took up this position, she was only 25 years old. This appointment became the most discussed topic at that time, many wondered why this twenty-five-year-old Armenian girl was entrusted with such a responsible post. How did Margarita Simonovna Simonyan distinguish herself? However, no incriminating evidence was found on her person. And the passions subsided. Later in the article we will talk about life path this amazing woman who was able to have such a successful career.
Simonyan Margarita Simonovna: biography, parents
The future journalist was born in early April 1980, in the southern city of Krasnodar. Margarita has a sister, Alice. After she took office in 2013 general director RT TV channel, many began to wonder who Simonyan’s parents were. Margarita Simonovna and her sister lived in very cramped conditions since childhood. Their father was a refrigerator repairman, and their mother was a flower girl and sold flowers at the market from morning to evening. The money my parents earned was only enough for food. Their house was very old and located on one of the outskirts of Krasnodar, named after the great Russian writer N.V. Gogol. The house was infested with rats, there were no simple living conditions: gas, sewerage and running water. Today I can’t even believe that the USSR could have had such terrible living conditions. The girls had to live in this horror for about 10 years, after which the family received an apartment. It was life at the “bottom” that inspired in Margarita an irresistible desire to escape from poverty and achieve success in life.
Academic success
Despite the fact that Margarita’s parents did not pay much attention to the development of their children’s intellectual and creative abilities, the girls were smart and quite diligent. Little Rita was one of the first in her kindergarten group to learn to read. The teacher told her to read fairy tales to her classmates before bed. Later, Margarita Simonovna Simonyan was admitted to the first grade of specialized school number 36 in the city of Krasnodar. Here they engaged in in-depth study of foreign languages. It turned out that the girl has a great ability for English. She studied with straight A's and was sent to the Olympiads. When the girl was 16 years old and in the 9th grade, a great opportunity opened up for her to improve her English knowledge to the proper level. As part of a student exchange program, she was sent to study in the United States, in the state of New Hampshire. She settled with a very friendly and warm family, went to an American school, communicated with peers and learned the peculiarities of life in mysterious America. She still has excellent, one might say “family” relationship with this family. Margarita even thought about staying overseas, but soon realized that life was best for her in her native country.
Higher education
After graduating from school, by the way, with a medal of honor, Simonyan Margarita Simonovna, whose biography is the topic of this article, entered the Faculty of Journalism of the Kuban State University, along with this she studied at the V. Posner School of Television Excellence, and also wrote poetry. It turned out that the press was interested in the collection of poems by the 18-year-old Armenian, and a film crew came to her home to make a report about her. It was during this interview that she mentioned that she dreams of becoming a journalist. And then she was invited to work on Krasnodar television.
First steps in the media
In December 1999, she went to Chechnya to cover the fighting. At the same time, Margarita decided to spare her parents and only told them that she was going on another business trip. At the same time, Margarita began filming stories for federal channels. Her fearlessness and professionalism were highly appreciated by the government, and Simonyan Margarita Simonovna was awarded many federal awards. A year later, she was appointed editor-in-chief of the information portal of the TRK Krasnodar, and in 2000, she was appointed editor-in-chief on the same TV channel. Later, she moved to the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Channel in the city of Rostov-on-Don. Then Margarita decides to continue her “military” career and goes to Abkhazia, writes reports on clashes in the Kodori Gorge.
To Moscow
In 2002, Margarita Simonovna Simonyan finally receives an invitation from the directorate of the Vesti television program to work as a staff correspondent, naturally, having moved to Moscow. Of course, she accepted the invitation, and soon she was already part of the presidential pool. In September 2004, a terrible tragedy occurred in North Ossetia, in Beslan. At that time, Margarita was in Minvody. She received an order from the channel's editorial office and went to the scene of the tragedy. All the time while the hostages were in the hands of terrorists, she stood at the school and went on the air every half an hour. At times her voice broke due to the sobs choking her. After that, she could not come to her senses for a long time.
First responsible post
In 2005, the Russia Today TV channel was created in Moscow. He broadcast in English and was called upon to express the official Russian position on various political situations in the world. In the professional sphere, many were surprised that it was Margarita Simonyan who was appointed editor-in-chief of the channel. Nevertheless, RIA Novosti presented arguments regarding this appointment. According to them, the head of the service had to be so young that he did not remember what the news was like on Soviet television. She must have a new way of thinking modern look for all. In addition, she was fluent in English and could objectively evaluate the flow of information. Later, Margarita also directed the Arabic and Spanish versions of the channel.
Career
In 2011, Margarita decided to create her own news project “What is happening” on the REN TV channel and act as its presenter. The program was broadcast weekly, on which M.S. Simonyan discussed the most important events last days, which they avoided talking about. Direct participants in these events were invited to the program. After 2 years, a new live political show appeared on NTV, hosted by Margarita Simonyan and Tina Kandelaki, an Armenian and Georgian. The program was called “Iron Ladies”. However, due to some reasons, the show was closed.
Creation
Since childhood, Margarita dreamed of becoming a writer. She wrote poetry, and already at the age of 18 she published a collection of poems written by her. Her next book was published in 2010 and was called “To Moscow.” This is a novel about the generation of the nineties, about the difficulties, difficult destinies of people whose lives coincided with the collapse of the USSR, about the unfulfilled dreams of young people who in an instant lost their present and future. A year after the release of the novel, Margarita received a prize for best book written by a journalist. Her next work was the story “Train”. She published excerpts from it in the Russian Pioneer magazine; she also writes culinary articles for this magazine.
The journalist does not like to talk about herself. In 2012, in an interview, she said that she and journalist Andrei Blagodyrenko had been living in a civil marriage for 6 years now, and as for consolidating official relations and a wedding, she was not at all ready for this. In the same year, Margarita went to Sochi, where the Simonyan family restaurant “Zharko!” was being built. It was there that she became close to her compatriot, a famous director. Tigran Keosayan and Margarita Simonyan spent more and more time in each other’s company. And everyone already perceived them as a couple, despite the fact that Tigran continued to be married to actress Alena Khmelnitskaya. A year later, in the summer of 2013, Margarita gave birth to a daughter, Maryana. The next year, she and Tigran had a son, who was named by the Armenian name Bagrat. Today Simonyan Margarita Simonovna and Keosayan Tigran are a family, although they are not legally married. They have two beautiful children.
Awards and titles
In 2000, Margarita was in the arena of military operations in Chechnya and reported in a bulletproof vest. She received a state award for her dedication to the profession, courage and professionalism.
In the same year, Margarita was recognized as the winner of the II All-Russian competition of regional television and radio companies. Her TV report about children in Chechnya was recognized as the best. Still in the same 2000, she received a presidential scholarship.
In 2010, in Moscow, the President of the Republic of Armenia presented the famous journalist with the “Movses Khorenatsi” medal - the highest government award of the Republic of Armenia.
She has several more state awards of the Russian Federation: “For Services to the Fatherland, 4th degree” (2014), two “Order of Friendship” (2007 and 2008), etc.
In 2012, Margarita Simonyan’s name was included in the list of 100 most influential women in the Russian Federation, where she took 33rd place. She is a member of the public council at the main directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, and since 2013, by appointment, she has assumed the position of editor-in-chief of MIA Rossiya.
Compromising evidence and sanctions
After the well-known events in Ukraine, Margarita Simonyan was included in the list of 49 journalists and media executives who are prohibited from entering the territory of the republic.
The “Iron Lady” of journalism, writer, one of the most influential women in Russia, a happy mother and wife, Margarita Simonovna Simonyan achieved brilliant success thanks to her sharp mind and character, uniquely combining masculine firmness and feminine insight.Childhood
Margarita was born on April 6, 1980 in Krasnodar. The family lived in a small house, which they shared with several neighbors. Despite the fact that Simon and Zinaida Simonyan, both purebred Armenians, had higher education, in the troubled time of the collapse Soviet Union they could not find application for their knowledge. Simon was doing renovations household appliances, and Zinaida was an entrepreneur. 
The family did not live well, but the parents sought to give the best education to their daughters, Margarita and her younger sister Alice, raising them in best traditions both Russian and Armenian peoples. From a very early age, Margarita was drawn to knowledge and even before entering school she already knew how to read and write. At a school with advanced knowledge of English, the girl was one of the best students; in the 9th grade she got a chance to improve her English language skills in the USA, getting into school curriculum in exchange.
She lived in New Hampshire for several years, and when her training came to an end, Margarita accepted the first thing in her life. serious decision, which predetermined her fate. The girl refused to continue her education at an American university and returned to Russia.
Margarita Simonyan at the Pioneer Readings
Admission to Kuban University was easy for her - she was a gold medalist. Having become a student at the Faculty of Journalism, the girl devoted all her time to study and her favorite hobby - literature. Having received her education in Kuban, she studied at the capital’s School of Television Excellence, after which she returned to her native land.
"Iron Lady" of Russian journalism
In the early 2000s, Margarita got a job on a Krasnodar news TV channel. At first the girl was an intern, but then she became a war correspondent. Risking her life, she covered the events in Chechnya and won the “For Professional Courage” award. After a short work at the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company of Rostov-on-Don, Margarita became a correspondent for the Vesti program. 
In 2004, Margarita reported live from Beslan, telling the whole country the truth about the seizure of the school by terrorists.
Margarita Simonyan in Beslan
In 2005, Russia Today was created, an international information channel whose purpose was to highlight Russia's position in relation to the policies of other states. The creation of RT was dictated by the times and the need to openly and truthfully state the political decisions made and Russia's views on problems that other international media preferred to keep silent.
The creation of the channel was led by Mikhail Lesin, who previously served as Minister of Press, as well as Alexey Gromov, who at that time was the president’s press secretary. Margarita's appointment to the post of editor of the channel was received ambiguously due to her rather young. It was due primarily to her exceptional knowledge of the English language, as well as the enormous potential and talent that she was able to demonstrate in a short time.
Having headed RT, Margarita first oversaw the English-language version of the channel, but later became editor-in-chief of the Spanish and Arabic versions. Under the leadership of Simonyan, the young RT already in 2008 surpassed the venerable Deutshe Welle, France 24 and Euronews in popularity. Margarita herself called the reason for this success a “fresh” view of world politics and patriotism, which she considers the main advantage of a Russian.
In 2010, Margarita entered the personnel reserve of President Vladimir Putin. At the end of 2012, Dmitry Kiselyov, director of the Rossiya Segodnya news agency, appointed Margarita Simonovna editor-in-chief of the Rossiya Segodnya international news agency. Simonyan managed to successfully combine the leadership of the RT and Rossiya Segodnya television channels.
Since 2014, a woman has also headed information Agency Sputnik, like RT, is aimed at foreign audiences. Sputnik websites, services and radio stations are available in all languages of the world. Russian word should be heard in all corners the globe, says Simonyan, the main female face of Russian journalism.
Other achievements
In 2012, Simonyan was the author and host of the popular analytical program "What's going on", and was co-host of Tina Kandelaki in the show program "Iron Ladies". 
Margarita's childhood dream - literary activity. WITH youth she wrote stories and at the age of 18 she published her poetry. The novel "To Moscow", which tells about simple and understandable truths for every person, such as love, dreams, overcoming difficulties, published in 2010, became popular in Russia and other countries.
It was according to the scenario of Margarita that some popular TV series were filmed, such as “Actress” and “Sea. Mountains. Expanded clay", the main roles in which were played by Sergey Gazarov, Larisa Guzeeva, Svetlana Ivanova, Alena Khmelnitskaya, and also Sergey Nikonenko.
Personal life of Margarita Simonyan
With the beginning of her career in journalism, Margarita had to work hard and arrange woman's destiny she didn't have any left. However, it is known that before official marriage with the director and showman Tigran Keosayan, she had an open relationship with her colleague Andrei Blagodyrenko. 
In 2012, Tigran, who was married to actress Alena Khmelnitskaya, himself expressed a desire to meet Margarita and sent her a message in social network Facebook. The relationship quickly grew into friendship, and then into something more. Soon the director moved with his new lover to her house near Volokolamsk.
In 2013, the couple had a daughter, Maryana, and a year later, a son, Bagrat. The journalist's children have a schedule, like hers, scheduled by the minute: sports, languages, dances, creative circles. By the age of five, Maryana could speak five languages.
In October 2019, the couple became parents for the third time. On the 19th, a girl was born, 57 cm tall and weighing 3050 g, who received unusual name Maro. Margarita is friends with Tigran’s ex-wife; according to her, they have nothing to share. Moreover, Alena Khmelnitskaya is happy with entrepreneur Alexander Sinyushin, with whom she married in 2018.
Margarita Simonyan now
The star of Russian journalism supports President Vladimir Putin; in 2018, she was one of his proxies in the presidential elections. 
Actively defending Russian policy in the international arena, Simonyan advocates freedom of speech and the reliability of information. Margarita Simonovna is making every effort to maintain a positive image of Russia; thanks to her efforts, the whole world learned the truth from the father of a Syrian boy, who was put forward as the main evidence of Russian aggression. Margarita is a frequent guest of political shows and popular analytical programs; even ardent oppositionists listen to her opinion.
However, it also has failures, as in the case of the interview with Petrov and Bashirov, suspects in the Skripal poisoning. After the conversation on RT, their real names were determined - Alexander Mishkin and Anatoly Chepiga. In the media sphere, this interview with Simonyan was called “a complete disaster.”
Interesting moments from Margarita Simonyan's interview with suspects in the Skripal case
Combining journalistic and socio-political activities, Margarita manages to find time for creativity. She is a co-author of the script for her husband’s film “Crimean Bridge: Made with Love,” which was released in the fall of 2018, but grossed just over a million dollars and received devastating reviews from film critics.
To date, Margarita Simonyan has managed to achieve success in work history and personal life. She gave birth to two children, received a number of government awards, and was recognized as one of the most influential women in Russia and the world. And this is not a complete list of the achievements of the 38-year-old TV journalist, whose childhood was harsh.
Biography
Margarita was born on April 6, 1980. She characterizes the Krasnodar region, where the future journalist spent her childhood, as a ghetto. The living conditions in the old house where the family lived until 1990 were simply terrible. The salary of the father, a graduate of the Polytechnic University, who had to repair refrigerators, and the mother's part-time jobs provided the family with a half-starved existence, but the parents tried to give their daughters a good education.
The eldest, Margarita, turned out to be gifted, and the desire to escape from poverty only gave her strength. She learned to read back in kindergarten, was one of the best students in the school with advanced study of English.
According to the exchange program for high school students, Margarita went to the USA, where she graduated from high school, but to receive higher education returned to Russia. She studied journalism in her native Krasnodar, and studied television skills at the Pozner school in the capital. Her professional career also began in Kuban.
Margarita Simonyan and Tatyana NavkaA television
The first stage in Margarita Simonyan’s work biography was the work of a correspondent for the Krasnodar TV and Radio Broadcasting Company; after some time, the young journalist was entrusted with editing the information programs of this company. After her appointment to the VGTRK media holding, Margarita moved to Rostov-on-Don.
At the turn of the millennium, the girl prepared a number of military reports on the Chechen conflict, and in 2001 she talked about the events in the Kodori Gorge. Third hot spot her career as a war reporter began in Beslan, where hostages were taken in 2004. By that time, Margarita was already a special correspondent for Vesti, working in Moscow.
Margarita in the studio of radio "Echo of Moscow" At the time of the founding of the English-language television channel RT (Russia Today), Margarita was only 25. The creators of the channel did not want to trust it to a person accustomed to the format of Soviet news; a fundamentally new approach was needed. They considered the best candidate for the post of editor-in-chief to be a young, talented journalist who had already received a number of professional and state awards.
Now Margarita Simonovna combines this position with the responsibilities of the editor-in-chief of MIA Rossiya Segodnya and its subsidiary agency Sputnik.
The journalist is the editor-in-chief of the RT television channel. In 2011-13, Margarita acted as a presenter:
- analytical news program “What’s happening?”;
- political talk show "Iron Ladies".
Both television programs were not to the liking of television reviewers. In their opinion, the program “What’s going on?” Simonyan led as if in Soviet times, resorting to the same style of propaganda. And for the show “Iron Ladies,” they and Tina Kandelaki, who was the co-host, were called “kitchen gossips.”
Margarita Simonyan and Tina Kandelaki In addition to working on TV, Margarita starred in one feature film and one documentary film, wrote books and scripts. For Margarita Simonyan, the cinematic turn of her biography turned out to be closely connected with her personal life, because films based on both of her scripts were directed by Tigran Keosayan.
Personal life
At the age of 12, Margarita categorically told her parents that she was not going to get married. The fate of a downtrodden, powerless housewife, exhausted by everyday chores, did not appeal to her. Immediately after school, the ambitious girl focused on building a career; she did not have enough time for her personal life. Starting a family was not part of her plans, although she periodically began short-term romances without obligations.
The longest and serious relationship they connected her with her colleague Andrei Blagodyrenko. In an interview in 2012, Margarita called Andrei her common-law husband and emphasized that they had been together for 6 years.
Margarita often appeared in Tigran’s company, but no one suspected their connection When Margarita Simonyan became a mother twice, fans interested in the details of her biography and personal life were surprised to learn that the father of both of the journalist’s children was Tigran Keosayan.
Photos of them together appeared on the Internet several times, but many thought that the journalist and director had only a professional relationship.
In 2012, Tigran gave Margarita a small role in his film “Three Comrades,” and in 2013 he directed the first film based on her script. The director was offended by criticism of a pretty woman of Armenian descent, and he wrote to her on Facebook with words of support. The correspondence was followed by a personal meeting, and soon they became very close.
Margarita and ex-wife Tigran Keosayan Alena Khmelnitskaya Margarita's first pregnancy turned out to be unplanned, there was a threat of miscarriage, and the woman decided to rely on fate. In August 2013, her daughter Maryana was born, and a little over a year later, a son, who was named Bagrat. Margarita is not yet going to formalize the relationship with their father, although he has already divorced his first wife, Alena Khmelnitskaya.
Margarita Simonyan has a blog on LiveJournal and a page on Facebook, but she practically does not post her own photos there and does not share biographical facts or events from her personal life. More interesting information can be gleaned from interviews and media publications:
- Margarita received her first job by accident, thanks to a collection of poems published at the age of 18. Local television decided to film a story about the young poetess, and she admitted that she dreams of working on TV and received an invitation to an internship;
- on the eve of the Olympics, Margarita, with the support of her husband, opened a restaurant near her grandmother’s house in Sochi, now it has fallen into disrepair due to its unfortunate location;
- the children of Margarita and Tigram already speak five languages;
- Margarita developed friendly relations with Tigran’s first wife. Khmelnitskaya starred in the film “Actress”, directed by Keosayan and scripted by Simonyan.
Margarita does not publish photos of her children Margarita Simonyan now
Now Margarita Simonyan continues to lead RT and Russia Today, is a member of the public council under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, with the help common-law husband and grandmothers raising children. During the 2018 presidential elections, she was Putin's confidant.
Margarita Simonyan is part of a team of people close to Putin One of latest news linked to Margarita's April Facebook post. She called an ambulance to the sick children and shared her impressions of the visit to the doctors’ house: these are poor people in front of whom you feel involuntary shame for your wealth. The phrase “It’s as if I stole it all” spread across the Internet and caused a wave of ironic comments, since Simonyan’s jingoistic propaganda activities, which are financed from the budget, are considered by many to be the same as theft.
Speech by Margarita Simonyan in the Federation Council Fresh posts by the journalist regularly appear on LiveJournal, which anyone can read.
