Russian propagandist Simonyan diagnosed with 'serious illness,' she says
Editor's note: This item has been updated with reporting by the Moscow Times.
Russian propagandist Margarita Simonyan said on Sept. 7 that she has been recently diagnosed with a "serious illness" and is about to undergo surgery.
Simonyan, 45, is a Russian media executive and editor-in-chief of the Russian propaganda outlet RT and the Rossiya Segodnya media group.
"This week I was diagnosed with a terrible, serious illness," Simonyan said on propagandist Vladimir Solovyov's program on Rossiya-1.
Simonyan did not provide further details on the nature of her sickness, adding that she decided to speak about it to "prevent the spread of rumors."
According to a source close to the Russian media industry cited by the Moscow Times, Simonyan has been diagnosed with cancer and is facing serious health issues.
The source added that discussions are underway regarding whether she will continue working at RT, with the possibility of her departure being considered.
During Solovyov's program, Simonyan also recalled that her husband, Tigran Keosayan, had been in a coma for nine months.
Keosayan, a 59-year-old Russian propagandist and film director, was hospitalized in December 2024 after suffering clinical death.
Simonyan is one of the most prominent faces of Russian state propaganda and has been sanctioned by the EU, U.K., U.S., and Ukraine for her role.
Since the outbreak of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she has consistently voiced support for Russian aggression, denounced the 2022 anti-war protests in Russia, and spread false claims about the conflict to discredit Ukraine.
