EU to sanction head of English-language Russian broadcaster RT Margarita Simonyan

Maral Takmazian 2022
POLITICO
Feb 23 2022

Margarita Simonyan ‘is a central figure of the Government propaganda,’ document says.

Putin presents flowers to editor-in-chief of Russian broadcaster RT Margarita Simonyan | Evgenia Novozhenina/AFP via Getty Images
BY CLOTHILDE GOUJARD AND JACOPO BARIGAZZI
 4:18 pm

The European Union is set to sanction Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of the English-language broadcaster RT, for spreading government propaganda, according to a draft document seen by POLITICO.

Simonyan "is a central figure of the Government propaganda," reads the document, dated February 22.

The document states that Simonyan "promoted a positive attitude to the annexation of Crimea and the actions of separatists in Donbas," and supported actions and policies undermining the sovereignty of Ukraine.

The document lists more than 20 people and entities to be sanctioned by the EU as part of a package expected to be finalized later today.