Kremlin propagandist Margarita Simonyan announces surgery amid speculation about her future at RT
Margarita Simonyan, the long-time editor-in-chief of the state-controlled broadcaster RT and the state-owned media group Rossiya Segodnya, may leave her post due to health issues. During a September 7 television appearance, she announced she’s facing a “terrible, serious” disease and will undergo surgery on the left side of her chest. She later indicated that the operation would take place on September 8 and include a mastectomy.
Simonyan, 45, did not disclose the exact nature of her illness, but a Russian media industry source close to Simonyan told The Moscow Times that she has cancer, calling her condition “very serious.” Simonyan’s future at Russia Today and potential resignation are also reportedly under discussion.
Margarita Simonyan was appointed editor-in-chief of RT (then known as Russia Today) in 2005. In December 2013, she was cross-appointed as the editor-in-chief of the newly formed news agency Rossiya Segodnya and serves as editor-in-chief of both organizations concurrently. RT is one of the Kremlin’s key propaganda outlets targeting foreign audiences. Russia’s 2025 federal budget allocates 31.1 billion rubles (about $377 million) to RT. Both the United States and the European Union have sanctioned Rossiya Segodnya, RT, and Simonyan herself.
For the past nine months, Simonyan’s husband, Russian filmmaker and TV presenter Tigran Keosayan, has been in a coma following a long-standing heart condition.
