Once Tigran Keosayan wrote to Margarita Simonyan on Facebook: “Hello, Margarita! This is Tigran Keosayan. I have long been sympathetic to you as a journalist and tribesman. Now I was driving in the car and listened to how they were harassing you on the radio, could not resist, decided to support and write ”.
At first, Margarita Simonyan did not believe that it was really Keosayan. She saw him on TV in a cooking show where he cooked scrambled eggs and tomatoes. Margarita answered him, exchanged phone numbers, met, had lunch. We had lunch, apparently, so tasty that I wanted to have lunch again. Yes, and have supper. Gradually overgrown with common themes, interests, friends, some kind of projects.
« And suddenly it turned out that it was impossible to live without each other - that you need to see each other every day, correspond every minute, hold hands, even when you are not around”, Recalls Simonyan.
« In general, all the most beautiful things in my life literally fall from the sky. And what I work on for a long time and hard either does not happen at all, or happens when it is no longer necessary", Adds the journalist. Her career - the position of editor-in-chief of an international television channel and the country's main news agency - also developed unexpectedly. She never aspired to become a big boss, on the contrary. I always wanted to write books, since childhood, as long as I can remember.
Tigran Keosayan taught Margarita to write scripts. Now, in traffic jams and at night, she writes scripts for films, TV series - sometimes under her own name, sometimes under a pseudonym. So Simonyan relaxes. " Not to mention the fact that they pay very well for it - definitely more than my salary on Russia Today", Specifies the chosen one of Keosayan.
She writes not only for Tigran. Together they made three series with him and just made a movie. Their comedy Sea. The mountains. Keramzit ”successfully passed on the First channel. This December on NTV - the premiere of the psychological thriller "Actress", another work that they created together with Tigran and Alena Khmelnitskaya.
Margarita wrote the script, Tigran filmed, and Alena played one of the main female roles. The whole group watched their trio warily and admiringly - how people manage to maintain good relations.
Margarita was born in Krasnodar, which was an abandoned province in the eighties. The family lived between the train station and the market, they had such a hut without any amenities. " My parents are purebred Armenians, while we have an absolutely Russian family. Father was born and raised in Sverdlovsk, and mother - in Sochi", Says Simonyan. Most of her relatives still live in Adler.
Simonyan never dreamed of television. She was going to write beautiful articles for various magazines. In 1998, Margarita graduated from the first year, and she published a collection of poems, and her TV company "Krasnodar" took on an internship. Leaving for Chechnya on the front line in bloody and crazy December 1999, when Grozny was just being surrounded, Simonyan deceived her parents for the first time in her life.
After Chechnya, Margarita was noticed in Moscow. She became a freelance correspondent for several federal television channels. Her father bought her a worn-out "Oka", which was already ten years old, and he and the operator in this car roamed all over the south of Russia, Crimea, Abkhazia, Kalmykia and Ossetia, got their reports.
In his third year, when Simonyan was not yet twenty-one, the RTR channel - now called "Russia" - entrusted her to head its bureau. " I was twenty-two when Dobrodeev, the general director of the Rossiya TV channel, called and asked: “Choose, will you go to New York or Moscow?” I chose Moscow, of course. I immediately got into the presidential pool - it was a real "dream come true”, Recalls Simonyan.
At twenty-five, Margarita was appointed editor-in-chief of Russia Today, which then did not exist: she was to launch the first Russian international 24-hour news channel in English from scratch. Your first New Year in this capacity she celebrated at work.
From an early age, Simonyan actually lived only by work. She never wanted to get married, she put off thinking about children until after thirty. " When novels happened, I immediately honestly told my boyfriend that this was not serious and most likely not for long - I just had no time", The journalist recalls.
« It seemed to me that a married woman is an unhappy and downtrodden creature: she was "made happy" with a white veil so that she could clean, wash, cook and endure her husband's betrayal. However, by thirty I already had long and quite family relationships- with a common life, ficus and plans for the future, but even then I was not going to get married", Adds Margarita.
Then a tsunami by the name of Keosayan burst into her "understandable life." " Tigran and I tried many times to stop everything - no one wanted to hurt loved ones. But it didn't work out. The first time we parted "forever" for a whole day, the last - for twenty minutes”, Says Margarita.
Simonyan lived in a small cozy house, bought with a mortgage, in a wonderful village, which had only one drawback - it was located sixty-three kilometers from the Moscow Ring Road. " When Tigran arrived for the first time, he asked why I had no curtains.... Margarita recalls. - She replied: “Because for the ones I want, I haven’t saved up yet". Keosayan was shocked. In his view, the head of the largest international media outlet could not have such problems. It was in this house without curtains that he moved to live with her.
« Why do you say that you live near Moscow? You live near Volokolamsk! " - joked Tigran, making his way to Margarita's house in his luxurious Maserati. Of course, he left the mansion in Barvikha to Alena and their common children. Having already moved to Simonyan's house, every morning he dropped in there before work to have breakfast with his youngest daughter Ksyusha, and only then went to Mosfilm. Margarita strongly supported this. She even insisted if he was tired and wanted to sleep longer.
Tigran stopped going to Barvikha every morning, only when Alena had a new common-law husband, Sasha. In order not to create awkwardness. Ksyusha spends the weekend with them, she is friends with Margarita's children. Tigran took from his home only portraits and books of his father. And after the divorce, Alena remains a faithful friend and dear person, and a loving father to her daughters.
« When I found out that I was pregnant, I was shocked, sobbed for three months. Motherhood happened contrary to precautions, but there was almost one hundred percent threat of miscarriage. Doctors said: “If you want to endure, go to preservation, we will inject hormones", Says Simonyan.
Margarita decided that she would not fight for her pregnancy or against: as God pleases, it will happen. As a result, Maryasha took root. Already five months after the first birth, Simonyan became pregnant with Bagrat. This time I didn't worry, I was delighted. " Pregnancy was very easy for me, both times I felt better than non-pregnant: I slept little, worked a lot and vigorously, not a day of toxicosis, gave birth for the first time in two and a half hours, the second time in an hour and a half. However, motherhood is still the hardest thing I've ever done.", Margarita admitted.
She spent a month with Maryasha Simonyan on maternity leave, but she still managed everything by phone and mail. I didn't sit with Bagrat at all. After being discharged from the hospital, the journalist took her son home and went to work - she was just being checked by the Accounts Chamber.
In general, the famous journalist is also an anxious mother, but she tries not to show this to children. Several times a day he calls the grandmothers home. Although he knows the schedule of his children every minute, and they have it Spartan: swimming, languages, yoga, drawing, Maryasha has dances, Bagrat has Thai boxing. And their food is Spartan, they still have not tried sweets and cakes, so they are absolutely indifferent to sweets and happily gnaw celery. Any cakes can lie on the table - children are not drawn to them, because they do not perceive them as food, but rather as decoration. They eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, cereals, meat, seafood.
Tigran is a much more strict parent than Margarita. Raises children as adults, especially only son... And he is three years old, he still does not understand when dad says that “I have to apologize for throwing an apple on the floor”, looks at dad with surprised eyes and smiles. However, Tigran is also strict with her daughters, in Margarita's opinion. But he also fools around with them, sings funny songs that he invents himself, tells fables.
Simonyan says she is a fan preschool education and contracted it from Tatyana Yumasheva, Yeltsin's daughter. Maryasha and Bagrat speak five languages: Russian, Armenian, English, French and Chinese. Teachers - native speakers come to them every day. For children, this is just a game, they don't even know what they are learning. They sculpt, draw, walk, sing, watch cartoons - it just happens in different languages.
« I would not like my children to study abroad. For selfish reasons. They will already master languages by the first grade, and live with them in different countries I am not ready for them to grow up as carriers of a culture that is alien to me. I am not a person of the world, I am very attached to my native place and I want my children to be nearby too. We have seen many families where parents wonder why their child grew up as a foreign, incomprehensible, arrogant English aristocrat or an equally arrogant Swiss socialist. And the heir was sent to London to college at the age of twelve - how was he supposed to grow up?", Says Margarita.
Tigran did not object to his eldest daughter when she wanted to study at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, but he was terribly worried all these years. In the end, she and Alena were already very angry with themselves for sending their daughter to the other end of the world with their own hands. Fortunately for them, she did not stay there. Received a diploma - and returned. Now the clever and beautiful Sasha works with his father, she was the second director in his new film, the plot of which unfolds against the background of the construction of the Crimean bridge.
Last summer, at Ksyusha's birthday - she turned six - Margarita met Alena. A few days before the holiday, Tigran said: “ Alena invites us to come together. -Of course, take the children and go with them. - You did not understand. She wants to see you too».
Margarita thought that Tigran had misunderstood something in his directorial absent-mindedness. Alenin asked him for the number, wrote to her: “ Alena, hello! Tigran said that you are waiting for us all together. This is true? I don't want to embarrass anyone, especially at a children's party". Alena replied: “ C'mon! Come! There will be no problem. Have a great fun».
There were about forty guests. It was just wonderful. Margarita and Alena both took a glass when the children had already been taken away, and they sat together until morning. Tigran could not stand it, fell asleep on the lawn, periodically woke up and whined: “ Girls, maybe that's enough? Oh please! I want to go home!»
At the holiday, Margarita and Alena made a joint photo and posted it on the Internet with the caption "High relations". " She is charming, very kind, intelligent, open - not to mention that she is a phenomenal beauty. We have nothing to share: Alena is happy, I am happy, Tigran is happy. And thank God", Margarita admits.
Margarita and Tigran do not hang out and rarely go to premieres or events. And they hardly go to visit - they accept friends at home. On Sundays, the tables of fifteen courses are often rolled up, Margarita loves this very much. She, of course, is helped by both mothers and their au pair. Maryasha is already helping to cook. I learned how to cut cucumbers with a small children's knife, I'm terribly proud of that.
« Looking at my children, I am convinced that people are born with a certain set of traits. Maryana is as ambitious as I was. At four years old, she cries for half a day if she could not read a word or recite a rhyme by heart. And the three-year-old son is not worried at all. They sit down at the table, Maryasha shouts: “I am the first, because I was born first! - Okay, I'm the second", - Bagrat smiles.
On January 1, Keosayan and Simonyan always have “khash open doors". All night Margarita with her mother and mother-in-law cooks this famous Armenian anti-hangover dish from boiled beef hooves. To be honest, khash is generally brewed by itself, but they keep an eye on it. All friends know that they can come to them without a special invitation, starting at one in the afternoon. So it was in the house of Margarita's parents, so it was in the house of Tigran's parents, now it is so with them.
Tigran, of course, spoils his wife, teaches her to expensive things and five-star hotels. When they met, Margarita was already over thirty, she had long been a big boss with a good salary, but everything was scattered into mortgages, loans, numerous relatives.
« I will never forget his first gift. I liked the bag of a famous brand, not prohibitively expensive, but still prodigally expensive for me. Passing the boutique, I admired her in the window. Once Tigran caught my eye: - Do you like this bag?", Says the journalist.
Tigran secretly bought it and presented it to his wife. " So I, as a child, slept with her for several days - I laid her on the pillow, I could not take my eyes off. I still wear it”, Recalls Margarita.
Keosayan and Simonyan have not yet registered a relationship, they simply do not get their hands on it. " Recently joked about this at home tells Margarita to the "Caravan of stories" - decided that, probably, we will get married when the children grow up, so that we can sit at a common table with their parents, have a drink homemade wine from the grapes planted by my grandfather, eat dolma according to the recipe of Tigran's mother and say: “What good fellows you are, ancestors, that once you decided on all this!»
The main topic today is the first interview of Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov. It is their British authorities who, without a shadow of a doubt, and even no longer highly likely, call the Skripals poisoners. And contrary to the presumption of innocence, it is Petrov and Boshirov who now have to prove that they have nothing to do with a high-profile crime.
They told their version of what happened to the editor-in-chief of the RT channel Margarita Simonyan. And this is what they said: first, the names are real; secondly, they have nothing to do with the special services. In addition, we stopped in Salisbury for a short time from London as tourists - to see the sights, of which there are enough, for example, Stonehenge nearby, or the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary.
Alexander Petrov: From the very beginning, we planned to come and get away, roughly speaking. We planned so that we would visit London and go to Salisbury, of course, it was supposed to be one day.
The excitement around these two young people has flared up unprecedented. British Scotland Yard declared them the poisoners of the defector Sergei Skripal and his daughter. The British press has already reported that they were liquidated a long time ago, that they were handed over by a "mole" in one of the Russian embassies - in the homeland of Agatha Christie, in general, they are very fond of intricate spy stories. But the reality turned out to be much more prosaic.
Margarita Simonyan: Can you describe what you did in England? You were there for two days.
Alexander Petrov: Three, it turns out.
Margarita Simonyan: What have you been doing these three days?
Alexander Petrov: We arrived on the second day, there is nothing to do for more than one day.
Ruslan Boshirov: We were planning to go to Salisbury just one day.
According to them, the weather intervened in their plans - London and the surrounding area were covered with snow. But they did not cancel the trip to Salisbury. They really wanted to see the famous Anglican cathedral, and quickly regretted it. We walked for only half an hour.
Alexander Petrov: Naturally, we went to visit Stonehenge, the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary. But it didn't work, because the city was full of liquid. We spent 40 minutes at the station in a cafe.
Ruslan Boshirov: We drank coffee.
Alexander Petrov: Electric trains ran with a wide gap.
They decided to return to Salisbury the next day, March 4th. And so they did. We walked, took pictures.
Ruslan Boshirov: We sat in the park. We went to a cafe, we walked, we enjoyed English gothic.
Alexander Petrov: And for some reason they showed us only at the station.
Margarita Simonyan: When you were in Salisbury, did you approach the Skripals' house?
Ruslan Boshirov: Maybe they did, we don't know where he is. I didn’t hear this surname at all, I didn’t know anything about them.
Margarita Simonyan: Did you have a Novice with you? Have you had a Nina Ricci perfume?
Ruslan Boshirov: Generally nonsense. And for normal men to carry with them perfume for women, this is silly!
Margarita Simonyan: You walked together, lived together. What unites you?
Ruslan Boshirov: Come on, we won't get into privacy, we have come to you for protection.
Alexander Petrov complained: after they were declared murderers in London, their life turned into a nightmare. Young people were just confused
Alexander Petrov: We didn't even know what to do, where to go: to the police, to the Investigative Committee, to the British Embassy.
Ruslan Boshirov: Or go to the FSB? We are afraid to go out into the street, we fear for our lives, for our loved ones.
Alexander Petrov: You even read our publications, what they write there, what a reward ...
Ruslan Boshirov: This is normal, do you think? Any normal person will be afraid.
London's reaction to the interview was expected. The appearance of Petrov and Boshirov, and especially the details of their lives and travels, again undermines London's attempts to blame Russia for the Skripal poisoning. The British Foreign Office said it continues to regard these people as prime suspects.
Margarita Simonyan: Have you thought about it at all? Do you think?
Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov: It's hard to say, but ... Well, that's how we think, we live in this. But the only thing that I would like, if in reality someday the poisoners are found, that at least they would apologize to us.
According to Margarita Simonyan, they contacted the editor-in-chief of RT themselves, because they were subscribed to her Telegram channel. At first, they wanted to record a video message and post it online. But in the end they contacted Margarita.
"They set several conditions. They said they didn't want the interview in the studio, so that there weren't a lot of people around, at most a cameraman. They didn't want noise. They were nervous, very nervous, sweating a lot, that's the main thing. I poured brandy for courage, set the air conditioner to maximum. But still wiped off the sweat. A normal reaction for those who give interviews for the first time. But maybe for another reason, I don't know, "said the editor-in-chief of RT.
Margarita Simonyan: Do you work for the GRU?
Alexander Petrov: Do you work for the GRU?
Margarita Simonyan: Me not.
Ruslan Boshirov: Me neither.
Alexander Petrov: Me neither.
At first, young people did not want to answer the question, what do you do for a living. According to them, in order not to harm their business and the people with whom they work. But then they still told that they work in the fitness industry - they advise on proper nutrition, supplements and bodybuilding.
Margarita Simonyane: That is, you work with clients whom you help to make a beautiful body.
Alexander Petrov: In short, yes. I would not like to make it public and delve into all these issues. I would not want our clients to suffer.
They often travel abroad together, to relax or to get acquainted with new products. sports nutrition... The British press reported that they traveled to Switzerland and lived in Geneva. Even found the one bed room they stayed in.
Ruslan Boshirov: This is normal for a tourist, normal for a newcomer, to come, check in, was in a double room, live in a two-room suite, saving money, and yes, it's just life, living together is more fun, it's easier, well, this is normal for any normal person ...
Margarita Simonyan showed them their photographs from British CCTV cameras. They are filmed separately. But the time in each photo is the same up to a second. Why, they could not explain, and addressed this question to the British.
Alexander Petrov: It's just that we always go through together, I have a little bit more power with the English language, if any problems arise, I help Ruslan.
The young people confirmed that they are in other photographs published by the British.
Margarita Simonyan: Do you have these clothes in Russia now? Can we watch it? Fine.
Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Bosharov: Yes, in Russia, we have it, we can show it, of course.
Margarita Simonyan: And you don't have her with you, by any chance?
Alexander Petrov: Jacket, yes, I have a jacket with me, it's here. Yes, this jacket. I have it with me, here.
Ruslan Bosharov: I also have all these things in my wardrobe at home.
Petrov and Boshirov said that they were very tired of the hype that surrounds their persons and literally did not understand how to live on. As Petrov said, you can't go out to fill up the car. They asked journalists and ordinary people not to pester them if they find out on the street, and generally leave them alone.
Alexander Petrov: Even if suddenly someone recognizes us, because we cannot just sit at home and not go out anywhere, then friends, do not take out your mobile phones, well, I don’t know how else to ask for it.
To our question whether the editor-in-chief of the RT television company trusts the words of Petrov and Bashirov, Margarita Simonyan replied: “I am not a psychologist. I don’t work for the GRU, they also say they don’t work. I have no way to check whether they are telling the truth or not, I did not have a polygraph, I am a journalist, I believe in what I see. I saw people, I saw that they looked like a photo, I saw their passports. What is in their heads, whether they deceived me or not - it's hard for me to say. Everyone should make a conclusion for himself when he looks. "
Why do all the threads lead from Simonyan to the USA?
The site kompromat.wiki publishes very interesting data.
For example, the resource was focused on Margarita Simonyan, since Russian society wonders why the state gave such advances to an ordinary journalist?
So, let's get acquainted with the biography of an ordinary journalist of Armenian origin, who has captured the leading positions of the Russian state media field and a huge chunk of the Russian budget, Day.Az reports with reference to gradator.ru.
Simonyan Margarita Simonovna is a Russian journalist and media manager. Editor-in-chief of the RT channel since 2005, the Rossiya Segodnya international news agency since 2013 and the Sputnik news agency since 2014.
Simonyan Margarita Simonovna, born on 04/06/1980, a native of Krasnodar.
Relatives. Sister: Simonyan Alisa Simonovna, born on 08/07/1981. She was involved in PR support of major federal projects, in particular the construction of the Crimean bridge and the holding of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. By the way, Alice, like her sister Margot, also prefers a deep neckline.
Margarita Simonyan claims that she did not contribute to the development of her sister's business through her channels in power. In her opinion, Alisa Simonyan "is simply one of the best PR specialists in Russia."
Husband (civilian): Keosayan Tigran Edmondovich, born on 01/04/1966, film director, screenwriter and producer. Since 2012, Simonyan has been in a de facto marriage with Keosayan, who left the family and officially divorced his previous wife Alena Khmelnitskaya in 2014. Simonyan conducts business through the commercial structures of Keosayan, since he does not directly want to show government orders.
Keosayan himself received state money to create patriotic films. According to some reports, Simonyan contributed to this through her connections. The family also owns a restaurant in the Krasnaya Polyana district of Sochi.
Education
She studied at the special school number 36 in the city of Krasnodar.
In the tenth grade for improvement of English language was sent on an exchange to New Hampshire (USA) for a year as part of the Future Leaders Exchange program. During this trip, the future journalist, in her own words, was imbued with "some skepticism about democracy and a persistent dislike for American values." Of course, Margot is lying, because on this trip she just came to the attention of the Armenian lobby of the United States, which, in turn, is used by the US special services.
At the age of 19 she graduated from the School of Television Skills of Vladimir Pozner, who was also attracted by the Armenian lobby of the United States. By the way, he recently appeared in Los Angeles with the promotion of Armenian interests.
Then she graduated from the Faculty of Journalism of the Kuban state university.
She also studied at the Internews television school of Manana Aslamazyan. As you know, this company is also American.
Labor activity
After graduation, she worked as a correspondent for the Krasnodar television and radio company.
In 2001, she was appointed the leading editor of news programs at the Krasnodar TV and Radio Broadcasting Company, and then her own correspondent for the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company in Rostov-on-Don.
In the fall of 2002, she became a special correspondent for Vesti.
In 2005, the first Russian television channel in English, Russia Today, was founded, with M.S.Simonyan appointed as its editor-in-chief. Subsequently, she also became editor-in-chief of the Arabic-language (Rusiya al-Yaum) and Spanish-language (RT Español) versions of RT.
Since 2014, in parallel, he has been the editor-in-chief of the Rossiya Segodnya international news agency, as well as the editor-in-chief of the Sputnik news agency, affiliated with the Rossiya Segodnya MIA.
Also in the 2010s at various times hosted the analytical program "What's going on?" on the REN TV channel and the political talk show “Iron Ladies” with another presenter of Armenian origin Tina Kandelaki, who previously presented herself as a Georgian, on the NTV channel.
Links / Partners
Blagodyrenko Andrey Alexandrovich, born on July 13, 1966, Head of the Directorate of Multimedia Centers of the International Agency and Radio Sputnik. Blagodyrenko, like Simonyan, spent his childhood in Krasnodar and was closely associated with the Armenian diaspora in this city. He worked in Rostov-on-Don, where at some point Simonyan ended up, then both moved to Moscow, where they became known as a couple. Blagodyrenko has produced various television projects.
Despite the fact that Simonyan cheated on Blagodyrenko, and then left for another man, now they maintain a relationship. Blagodyrenko was even assigned to the Sputnik International Agency, of which Simonyan is the editor-in-chief.
Alexey Gromov, born on May 31, 1960, First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration.
Gromov, since the 2000s, oversees funds mass media in the Kremlin. He worked closely with Simonyan from the moment the girl got into the so-called presidential pool of journalists. It was Gromov and the then adviser to the President of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Lesin, who had the idea to create the Russia Today media holding. It was Gromov who decided to appoint Simonyan as the head of RT. Over time, Simonyan worked closely with Lesin.
Lesin also turned out to be an American hireling, fled to the United States, where he ended his days under strange circumstances in 2015, while Gromov still keeps Russia Today under special control and patronizes Simonyan. Gromov and Simonyan are said to have common business interests.
Oleg Borisovich Dobrodeev, born on October 28, 1959, General Director of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK). Rumor has it that Simonyan can sit up with Dobrodeev and, God forbid, head the VGTRK herself.
Kiselev Dmitry Konstantinovich, born on April 26, 1954, General Director of the Russian international news agency "Russia Today", Deputy general director VGTRK. Kiselev, as the head of the Rossiya Segodnya news agency, appointed Simonyan as editor-in-chief of the agency, but in reality he is only a “wedding general”.
To information
Margarita Simonovna Simonyan was born in Krasnodar, in an Armenian family of a refrigerator repairman and a flower seller in the market. But the Simonyan family was simple only at first glance. In reality, it enjoyed the support of the influential Armenian diaspora in Krasnodar. In addition, it was rumored that Eduard Shevardnadze himself was among Margo's distant relatives. The fact that the Simonyan family was not so simple was evidenced by the fact that during her school years the girl was sent under the Future Leaders Exchange program to American New Hampshire. And there is also information that Father Simonyan had influence in criminal circles, from Russia to America.
Subsequently, Margarita will assure that in the United States she was imbued with "some skepticism about democracy and a persistent dislike for American values." However, at that time, after returning to Russia, she went to learn the basics of journalism to the pro-Western representative of this profession, Vladimir Pozner, who opened his School of Television Skills, and then studied at the Internews television school of the liberal journalist Manana Aslamazyan. And besides, Margarita openly expressed her desire to become her own correspondent in Moscow for some western channel.
Is it just a coincidence?
If you think about it, Simonyan is a cleverly disguised American foster child, and the resources she leads in fact devalue Russia's image in the world, she also destroyed the leading Russian news agency RIA Novosti, replacing it with the scandalous soap Sputnik.
Simonyan received her higher education at the Kuban State University, but studied at it in absentia, since in her first year she was arranged by a correspondent for the Krasnodar television and radio company. The young girl was clearly "molded" a career.
The still completely inexperienced student was sent as a war correspondent to Chechnya, where she made several reports, after which she immediately received the prize of the Kuban Union of Journalists "For Professional Courage."
A few months later, the journalist was also awarded the prize of the second All-Russian competition of regional television and radio companies, and at the Krasnodar TV and radio company she was promoted to leading editor of news programs. However, in her new position, she worked for no more than six months, since she moved from regional television to the federal VGTRK, as a correspondent in Rostov-on-Don.
Already in 2002, Margarita was called to Moscow as a special correspondent for Vesti. Earlier, the Kuban TV producer Andrei Blagodyrenko moved to the capital, who headed the production company "Profile" in Pervoprestolnaya. It is difficult to say whether he contributed to the move of the journalist, but soon they began to live together. At the same time, a girl from Krasnodar, who had not yet had time to graduate, was immediately assigned to the so-called presidential pool and began to cover almost all of Vladimir Putin's trips.
In 2004, Simonyan was entrusted with a live report from Beslan, where Chechen terrorists in the city center seized a school with children. It was Margarita Simonovna who, in one of her direct interventions, significantly underestimated the number of hostages to 354 people, while exact figure there were 1128 of them. In addition, she stated that "the terrorists are not making demands," while their main point was "the withdrawal of troops from Chechnya."
The inaccurate information angered local residents, whose relatives ended up in the seized school. This broadcast was also seen by the terrorists, after which they significantly toughened the conditions for the residents of Beslan they had captured.
Literally six months later, Margarita Simonovna was awarded the then Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov with the medal "For Strengthening the Combat Commonwealth."
In 2005, Gromov and Lesin, who at that time became an adviser to the President, but continued to supervise the Russian media, decided to create a television channel that would shape public opinion among Western audiences "in the interests of Russia." The channel was named "Russia Today", and twenty-five-year-old Simonyan was appointed editor-in-chief of such a serious project. The journalistic community expressed its bewilderment at this appointment and, it was something to be surprised.
The new TV channel had a large budget by Russian standards and since then has reached broadcasting coverage in more than 100 countries and had 22 offices in 19 countries and regions, with a presence in Washington, New York, London, Berlin, Gaza, Cairo, Baghdad and other large cities of the world. And all this was supposed to be run by yesterday's graduate of the correspondence department of the journalism department of the Kuban State University. Many of Margarita's colleagues expressed their displeasure when the state awards were presented to the editor-in-chief of Russia Today, treated kindly by the authorities.
Obviously, in her career advancement, Margarita Simonovna jumped at least several flights of stairs. Therefore, already, being the editor-in-chief of a large television channel, she herself wanted to try herself as a TV presenter of any political talk show. But she did not want to work for a foreign public, so she knocked on her Russian counterparts. At first, she was sheltered on REN TV, where he hosted the program "What's going on?", But due to low popularity it was closed six months later. TV critics said that the program was made "in the spirit of the Soviet propaganda model."
Then Simonyan tried herself on the radio as the host of the weekly column "Point of View" on the frequency of "Kommersant FM", but here she parted ways just a few issues later. Then there was "NTV" and a joint program "Iron Ladies" with Tina Kandelaki, which also lasted no more than six months. Television critics compared the presenters to "kitchen gossips who are trying to talk about big politics."
In December 2013, on the basis of RIA Novosti, the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency was created, headed by journalist Dmitry Kiselev. In the same month, before the New Year holidays, Kiselev invited Margarita Simonovna to become the editor-in-chief of the new agency. And in November 2014, Simonyan headed the editorial office of the Sputnik news agency, affiliated with the Rossiya Segodnya MIA.
In 2015, one of Simonyan's patrons, Mikhail Lesin, died in the United States. Various sources claimed that the former press minister was either beaten to death or killed with a baseball bat. The leaks allegedly came from the FBI. Lesin was found dead in a hotel located in downtown Washington. At this hotel, he was supposedly supposed to have a meeting with representatives of the US Department of Justice, to whom he was supposed to tell about how the "propaganda machine" "Russia Today" is arranged. Political scientist Gleb Pavlovsky even called the murder a staging and suggested that Lesin was quietly working for the US intelligence services. After the death of her past curator, Margarita Simonovna, without thinking twice, published an article titled "Mikhail Lesin. Afterword", from which it became clear that over all these years she had become a very close friend of the late politician, and how he played backgammon with her Krasnodar Armenian grandmother.
It is not known whether Lesin really should have "leaked" information to the American special services about Russian propaganda and whether he had time to tell something about "Russian Today"; however, soon the US authorities launched a real fight against the TV channel.
In 2017, it became known that the FBI was investigating the activities of the RT TV channel and the Sputnik news agency. In the hands of the bureau staff was a hard drive containing internal documents and correspondence of Sputnik employees, which was given to them by one of the agency's former reporters, Andrew Feinberg.
And in the fall of the same year, the US Department of Justice demanded "RT America" to register as a "foreign agent." This became a fairly large legislative precedent for the United States, since before that, the media in this country had not received such requirements. Following Russia Today and Sputnik, other foreign TV channels such as Al-Jazeera could receive similar status. As a result, on November 10, 2017, the US Department of Justice officially added T&R Productions LLC, which operated RT America, to the list of foreign agents.
At the same time, it was a great exaggeration to say that the Simonyan TV channel really somehow influenced the political moods of US citizens. Of course, the potential audience of "RT America" by 2016 could be up to 85 million people. But in fact, this indicator only indicated the number of people for whom this channel was included in the cable TV package. In fact, RT America's daily audience was about 30,000 people.
From time to time, the channel's audience expanded significantly due to major news stories related to Russia. One of these events took place in the fall of 2018. Then everyone discussed two Russian citizens who appeared on the recordings of street cameras in the British city of Salisbury, precisely in those days and near the places where a former GRU officer, a defector Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, were poisoned. After these videos were published in the media, the Russian authorities announced that the individuals present on them were identified and they were civilians, some Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov.
Margarita Simonovna did her best to prove herself in the role of a tenacious and perceptive investigator. However, all the participants in this impromptu interrogation looked more than ridiculous. The presenter clearly did not pressurize the interviewees in those places where additional leading questions suggested themselves. But she showed genuine interest in the sexual orientation of Petrov and Bashirov, lowering the bar for interviews to talk shows for housewives. The "interrogated" looked dull at all, were confused in their testimonies, and if they were asked questions by a more professional journalist, it is not known where these answers would lead them. As a result, the interview turned out to be in the genre of comedy and was quickly dismantled into quotes and "memes".
Probably, the very same Alexei Gromov, who by that time had become the first deputy head of the Presidential Administration, took care of the meeting on RT. At least Alexei Alekseevich did not forget his protégé all these years. It was she who, together with her common-law husband Keosayan, was offered to make a film for the Sochi Olympics "Sea. Mountains. Expanded clay". And later the same couple took up the film " Crimean bridge... Made with love".
And it turned out to be a complete spent and a laughing stock.
Someone argued that the funds for the film were allocated by the Ministry of Culture, while others said that the project was paid for personally by Arkady Rotenberg, who was contracted to build the bridge. As a result, it turned out that at least 100 million rubles were received without a competition from the Cinema Fund. Margarita Simonovna herself was the screenwriter of the film, and Keosayan was the director.
The movie was filmed at the studio of Keosayan's brother David, and his niece Laura Keosayan and his first wife Alena Khmelnitskaya were in the lead roles. It should be said that the film, for obvious reasons, flopped at the box office without paying off, and at the same time received terrible press from independent film critics.
But the film industry was not the only business linking Simonyan and her relatives to a high-ranking official. In particular, her younger sister Alisa could also be indebted to Gromov.
Registered as an individual entrepreneur, she received orders for public relations of the most important state projects - the Olympics in Sochi, the World Cup and the construction of the Crimean bridge. She also carried out orders for the Skolkovo Foundation, and worked with partners of Alexei Gromov Jr., including Oleg Deripaska.
Alisa Simonyan often worked not only as an individual entrepreneur.
So, for the PR of the Crimean Bridge, she got a job in the company of Arkady Rotenberg "Stroygazmontazh" and, as his employee, supervised the work of the information center "Crimean Bridge". True, this center was established by the Prime Agency and the Eurasian Communication Center, which were the structures of Russia Today. In that information center worked and younger son Gromova Danila.
Margarita Simonovna herself was also engaged in commercial activities through the sole proprietor. According to her own statements, it was she who started this business, and then hired her sister as an employee, and only later she "separated".
Sometimes Simonyan had to involve her husband for doing business. Some clients were not satisfied with the status of an individual entrepreneur, and then Margarita Simonovna entered into contracts through the Coliseum company, which was owned by Keosayan.
In 2019, a big interview with Simonyan came out. It is curious that the TV producer poured out his soul in the Telegram blocked by Roskomnadzor, specifically on the Nezygar channel. Aleksey Gromov is considered to be the curator of this information platform, and especially Nezygar in the Kremlin. It was rumored that Margarita Simonovna decided to have a frank conversation, due to the fact that a new big appointment was prepared for her. In particular, there were rumors that the journalist decided to sit up with the head of Russian television, Oleg Dobrodeev. And in this case, information support would really not hurt her. Indeed, despite her multiple awards and meteoric career, ordinary viewers did not greatly appreciate the production talent of Margarita Simonovna.
For many, Simonyan was simply annoying. Often, the editor-in-chief of the Russia Today TV channel, under his posts in social networks collected a whole scattering of critical comments. Once she spoke about her awkward feelings in those moments when she had to call an ambulance. In particular, the journalists are uncomfortable in front of the medical staff for the "oak staircase", "oak parquet", "English wallpaper and a vintage Italian chandelier" in a "good house" in a "good village near Moscow". "As if I stole it all" - exclaimed Margarita Simonovna. The phrase "as if I stole it all" instantly spread among the people. “They stole it,” was the mildest answer to the editor-in-chief of RT.
The "prodigy" of Russian journalism - Margarita Simonyan managed to head the Russia Today media holding at the age of twenty-five. At the same time, close relatives of Margarita Simonovna now also show not hefty abilities, receiving contracts from the state for PR support of the country's largest events and making films with money from the Cinema Fund. True, an ordinary viewer cannot understand in any way why the state gave such advances to an ordinary journalist.
At 32, she became a journalist for the presidential pool, and at 35 - editor-in-chief of the Russia Today channel. Today she is not just a multimedia person, but also the author of literary collections and a book about the 90s - "To Moscow", and fragments of the work "Train" along with culinary recipes were placed in the periodical "Russian Pioneer".
Biography
Margarita Simonovna was born into the family of a refrigerator repairman and a flower saleswoman in Krasnodar on April 6, 1980. Until the age of 10, the girl with her sister and parents lived in difficult conditions - the Soviet period of unemployment and empty counters, and there were absolutely no amenities in the house. When she was ten, the family got new housing.
The girl quickly mastered literacy and even in kindergarten gathered around her an audience of one-year-olds - read fairy tales. Margarita was sent to school number 36 (with in-depth study foreign languages). A capable student brought home only fives. At the age of 15, she goes to New Hampshire, where she studies at an American school and lives in a friendly family, the girl will remember her with kindness.
The desire to become a journalist brings the graduate to the walls of the Kuban State University. At the same time, she is honing her TV skills with Vladimir Pozner himself (an iconic person in the media, he was the host of teleconferences between the United States and the USSR, he hosted a program about the Soviet Union in the States).
Margarita began her career at the age of 19. The Krasnodar channel is filming a story about her as a promising young writer; during the break, the girl mentioned her dream of working on TV.
From 1999 to 2000, Margarita trained and immediately decided to try her hand as a "war correspondent". Then, in an interview, he will advise young journalists not to start with such painful topics. For the girl, they became a school of life that significantly influenced her worldview. In 2000 she was awarded the Professionalism and Courage Prize. During the same period, she received a responsible position - the editor of the television and radio company "Krasnodar". Immediately Margarita Simonyan is offered a job on other channels - VGTRK (as a correspondent), RTR. Since 2002, a talented and purposeful journalist has become a permanent member of the press who cover Kremlin events (a representative of the presidential pool).
In 2004, the journalist manages to report on the tragedy in Beslan.
In 2005, the Russia Today TV channel began broadcasting, which reflects the mood and opinions of politicians and the public about world events. The main thing actor- Russia. The concept of the channel became an unspoken response to the Voice of America program, popular during the Soviet period, which was the US “microphone” for the residents of the Union as well. Margarita Simonyan became the first editor-in-chief of the TV company, and a little later she took the same position regarding the Arabic-language and Spanish-language broadcasting of Rossiya Segodnya.
In 2010, Simonyan received an award from the hands of the President of Armenia - for her professionalism and contribution to the development of journalism.
In 2011-2013, more and more TV viewers are beginning to recognize Simonyan in the face - she hosts the program "What's going on?" and The Iron Lady. At the same time, Margarita is on the board of directors of the most popular and the largest representative Media - Channel One.
Since 2013, a television celebrity - the head of Russia Today and editor-in-chief of MIA "Russia Today".
Her literary activity did not remain in the shadows either. In 2010, the book "To Moscow" finally saw the light of day. This is a story about a whole generation, to which Margarita Simonyan herself belongs. The plot revolves around a girl and three friends living in a hostel. The growing up of young people and their views is shown. Not without a love line (for example, between an attractive student Nora and her married adult lover). This modern prose shows that one feeling remains unchanged and always correct, no matter how trite it sounds, but actual - love for the Fatherland.
In the story "Train", readers will find interesting descriptions portraits of the country's inhabitants, landscapes, once again take a different look at the familiar world of things.
In 2018, Margairita Simonyan became a confidant of Vladimir Putin in the presidential elections.
Personal life
Despite the total employment, the young woman manages to devote time to her family. In the early 2000s, she was in a relationship with a colleague, Andrei Blagodyrenko. In 2013, while doing work until the last, the journalist became the mother of the girl Maryana. After the opening of their own restaurant in Sochi, the head of Russia Today was seen in the company of the director, the ex-wife of Alena Khmelnitskaya - Tigran Keosayan. In 2014 in civil marriage they had a son. Margarita Simonyan and her actual husband named him Bagrat.
PHOTO: Tigran Keosayan and his new wife The news that the star couple Khmelnitskaya - Keosayan broke up, appeared thanks to the famous journalist Bozhena Rynska. It was she who first posted on the Internet a photo showing Tigran Keosayan, his new wife and their children. The public was shocked by the news, because until recently Alena and Tigran looked quite happy together. Khmelnitskaya gave her husband a second daughter, was his muse and always appeared together at all social events. What happened in the star family? Why did they suddenly split up after 21 years of marriage?
Read also:
Tigran Keosayan and Alena Khmelnitskaya: divorce, ...
How did the novel begin
Rumor has it that the star marriage began to crack back in 2011, when Tigran began to appear more often in the world alone. Many then did not give it of great importance and decided that the wife is engaged in a lot with the youngest daughter. But already in 2012, Tigran began to appear with the famous presenter Margarita Simonyan. In an interview that same year, Margarita announced that she was opening the Zharko! Restaurant in Sochi. As it turned out, later it was their joint project with Keosayan. It was later.
And first there was an entry on Facebook. Once Margo received a message from Tigran, in which he admitted that he had been watching her for a long time, ever since the reports from Beslan, and sympathized with her. He was outraged by the persecution that the girl was allegedly subjected to. The journalist herself did not believe it, she thought it was a fake. Why would a famous director suddenly become interested in her fate? She only saw him on TV and even somehow appreciated the humor when he participated in a cooking show. BUT! For some reason she answered! Correspondence ensued, then long telephone conversations began. And then lunches and dinners in restaurants. Gradually, they began to acquire common themes, interests, projects.
Tigran Keosayan, his new wife, and Alena Khmelnitskaya
Tigran taught the girl to write scripts. Her old dream was to become a writer, but there was not enough time. Margarita's talent has awakened. Together they began filming series based on her scripts. Comedy “Sea. The mountains. Expanded clay. ”, Filmed by Tigran Keosayan and his new wife, was broadcast on Channel One with such success that Konstantin Ernst himself called and reported a high rating.
Once both realized that life without each other is no longer possible. There was an urgent need to see each other every day, correspond every minute, hold hands. Margarita confesses with a smile on her face that all the most important things in life goes to her unexpectedly literally falls from the sky.
Tigran Keosayan and Margarita Simonyan
Biography of Margarita Simonyan
Unlike the childhood of her lover, Margot's childhood years were not so rosy. She was born in Krasnodar. In the 80s, it was not a well-groomed, luxurious metropolis, but an abandoned province with ruins of houses right in the center. Her family had a small house in the Armenian "ghetto", with walls never drying out, a street toilet for five families and neighbors who were drug addicts. As the journalist claims, although her parents are purebred Armenians, the family is absolutely Russian. Dad was born and raised in Sverdlovsk, mom - in Sochi. They never lived in Armenia. Numerous relatives live in Adler.
The parents of Tigran Keosayan's new wife received higher education in Krasnodar. But it was never useful to them. Despite the red diploma of the Krasnodar Polytechnic Institute, my father was forced to repair refrigerators, and my mother, an intelligent and fragile woman, did odd jobs. I knitted hats, sold persimmons, tried to "shuttle". With all this, my mother managed to drive Rita and little sister Alice to all kinds of circles, to a special school of English and to music and sports.
Having brilliantly passed the entrance exams to the best school in Krasnodar, Margo determined her future. At that time, there was already an exchange program for schoolchildren and young Margarita was sure that she would go to America to finish her studies. And so it happened. In 1995, the Americans chose the 5 most promising guys, and she was among them. In the States, Margot was an excellent student and had great opportunities to stay there. She was expected to study at a good university, a high-paying job.
But one fine moment the girl realized that she could only live where she grew up, that she would never be happy in a foreign country.
She graduated from school already at home with a gold medal. Then she entered the Kuban University as a journalist. In 1999 she published her first collection of poems, thanks to which she got a job as a correspondent for the local television and radio channel Krasnodar. But this was not enough for an ambitious and ambitious girl.
Energy was in full swing, I wanted to conquer the peaks. Not knowing how to get into the big federal media, the nineteen-year-old girl came up with only one way - she went to the war in Chechnya. Of course, without saying anything to the parents. Relying on stunning reports from hot spot turned out to be faithful, she was noticed. Margarita was awarded the journalistic award "For Professional Courage", the Russian Order of Friendship.
Having decided to continue her career as a military TV journalist, she sanctified the clashes of militants in Abkhazia. In September 2004 she went to Beslan. This tragedy greatly influenced the worldview of the journalist. A year later, the Russia Today channel was created, of course, Simonyan was appointed its editor-in-chief. Further, the career of the star of international news was on the rise.
And in 2013, Margarita was appointed editor-in-chief of the Rossiya Segodnya MIA, where she works to this day.
Living together with Tigran Keosayan
Before the appearance of Tigran in her life, Margot was not serious about close relationships. It is known that at the time of her acquaintance with the famous director, she was living in a civil marriage with journalist Andrei Blagodyrenko. The fact is that while living in her "ghetto", the girl did not see there happy families... A married woman seemed to her an unhappy, downtrodden creature whose task was to do the daily chores around the house.
Margarita with Andrey Blagodyrenko
She never intended to get married, which made her parents very sad. After all, they have been waiting for their grandchildren for a long time. Even now Tigran Keosayan and his new wife, although they have two children, live in a civil marriage.
When the couple realized that they had feelings, they decided to part ways because they did not want to hurt anyone. We parted for one day - they couldn't stand it anymore. As a result, Keosayan moved to Rita in a small but cozy house located 63 km from Moscow. Until Alena Khmelnitskaya had a man, ex-husband every morning I stopped by them in Barvikha to talk with my daughters over morning tea.
Oddly enough, they are on friendly, respectful relations with Alena. Khmelnitskaya, like a wise woman, encouraged the continuation of the relationship between her daughters and her father, because they are not guilty of anything. Moreover, Alena found the courage to invite Tigran Keosayan and his new wife with their children to the family celebration. They got to know each other better and, as usual with this trio, a joint project has matured. The film "Actress" was shot according to the script of Rita, in which the ex-wife played the main role.
Now the Keosayan-Simonyan couple are loving, but strict and demanding parents. Especially the young dad. He talks to his son and daughter like adults. But fooling around is also not averse, he likes to tell them all sorts of fables of his own composition, to sing funny songs.
We hope that Tigran Keosayan and his new wife will be happy for a long time, for life ...
