food crisis, partly caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, will force the West to lift sanctions. Pointing to chaotic partial mobilization and reports of old, disabled or otherwise unfit men being drafted into the army, Simonyan complained why the "millions of security officers and guards" who are being used in Russia are not sent to the front. She also complained that some recruits were receiving inadequate equipment. In January 2023 Ukraine imposed sanctions on Margarita Simonyan for promoting Russia during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Comments about Armenia During the 2020 Armenian–Azerbaijani war, Simonyan accused the Armenian authorities of provoking Russia by arresting former-president Robert Kocharyan and refusing to recognize the annexation of Crimea. She suggested that the CSTO's response was appropriate given Armenia's "anti-Russian sentiment." The CSTO later stated: "The opinion of [Simonyan] is completely contrary to the official position of the CSTO Secretariat." Her words were widely criticized in Armenian society. She said, "Any Armenian who dares to criticize Russia should go and cut out his dirty tongue. They brought the national traitor Nikol Pashinyan to power, who created the prerequisite for war." Political commentator Sergey Parkhomenko also criticized her, saying that Simonyan is posing as "a powerful representative of the Armenian people, while not being such at all from any point of view." In October 2022, Simonyan stated that she was banned by Armenian authorities from entering the country. Personal life Simonyan was formerly married to the journalist and producer Andrey Blagodyrenko, giving birth to the couple's daughter, Mariana, in August 2013. She is now married to Russian-Armenian film director, Tigran Keosayan, with whom she regularly collaborates. They have three children together. Simonyan is fluent in Russian and English. She stated in a 2012 interview that she regrets not knowing Armenian, but explained that it is because her family never spoke Armenian at home due to dialectal differences. Awards and honors : Medal "For Strengthening the Combat Commonwealth" (2005) Order of Friendship (2007) Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation (2010) Order For Merit to the Fatherland, 4th class (2014) Order of Alexander Nevsky (2019) : Movses Khorenatsi Medal (2010) : Order of Friendship (2008) See also Mikhail Lesin Russian information war against Ukraine References External links Margarita Simonyan biography, IBC (International Broadcasting Convention) website, accessed 20 September 2012. 1980 births Living people Russian nationalists Russian propagandists Russian conspiracy theorists Anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Russia Russian