RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan answered a provocative question about her personal life at the Red Square Book Festival. One of the visitors read the following text from her phone: "Why did you take a man away from a family with young children? As a result, he was ruined and now they are dying?". Details of Simonyan's reaction are given by Tsargrad.
The surrounding people reacted with surprise and dislike, but Simonyan kept her composure.
"God bless you, dear! I am very pleased that you read your question from the phone, and did not say it out loud. This suggests that you don't think so. God grant you good health," she replied.
During the meeting, Simonyan also shared her thoughts on grief and death, comparing the departure of loved ones with "temporary departure from the campfire," and said that at night she dreams of her husband and comforts her. She recalled her book "Not the first love. Confessions of Sorrow and Joy", dedicated to director Tigran Keosayan, which will be released by autumn.
Tigran Keosayan died on September 26, 2025. Two weeks before his death, Simonyan announced her own diagnosis — she was diagnosed with breast cancer.