Margarita Simonyan
Margarita Simonyan is a Russian journalist and media manager of Armenian origin. She has headed the state-funded television network RT (formerly Russia Today) since 2005, and has served as editor-in-chief of the international news agency Rossiya Segodnya since 2013. She is known for her vocal support of Kremlin policy and frequent public statements backing the Russian government's positions.
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EU renews Ukraine-related sanctions for three years, removes Usmanov and Fridman; Azerbaijan's Aliyev pardons French detainee Martin Ryan
On 22 September 2026, the Council of the European Union extended its Ukraine-related sanctions regime by 36 months, until 22 September 2029. At the same time, the EU removed Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list. The day after, on 23 September, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree pardoning 20 people, including French citizen Martin Ryan, who had been sentenced to ten years in prison for espionage in March 2026. Reports link France's push for Usmanov's delisting to a non-public arrangement with Azerbaijan over French detainees, including Ryan. Ukraine said it was not consulted and called the decision "shameful".