Death and Remembrance: The Story of Margarita Simonyan
Russian propagandist Margarita Simonyan has revealed that she keeps the ashes of her late husband, Tigran Keosayan, on her bedside table. Keosayan, who died in 2025, had previously survived clinical death and a coma due to heart problems. Following his passing, his body was cremated, and the urn containing his remains now resides next to Simonyan's bed.
Plans for the Future
Simonyan, who is herself battling cancer, has expressed her wish for her own ashes to be mixed with her husband's after she dies. She noted that at their home, a property they spent five years building and which she is now finishing alone, there is a pine tree (a pinia) under which the couple had planned to be buried together.
'We have already settled into our home, which we built over five years and which I am now finishing alone. A pinia is planted there. And he and I agreed long ago: he was the first to say that I would lie under this pine tree, and you will be next to me. Of course, Tigrash, that's how it will be.'
- Margarita Simonyan
She also disclosed that she is constructing a glass sarcophagus for their ashes. 'For now, his ashes are next to me—on the nightstand. But later, I will ask for my ashes and his to be mixed and placed in this sarcophagus. And we will be there together under the pinia,' she added.
It is worth noting that Tigran Keosayan was under sanctions from Ukraine, the EU, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Simonyan has previously stated that she considered taking her own life due to personal tragedies and the loss of her husband. As a prominent media figure in Russia, her personal disclosures often intersect with her public role.
This account reflects the profound personal grief of Margarita Simonyan, who, despite her own health struggles, continues to speak of her love for her husband. The themes of death, memory, and their manifestation in Simonyan's personal plans may evoke varied emotions and reflections on enduring values like love and fidelity in readers. Simultaneously, the context of the sanctions against Tigran Keosayan adds a layer of political complexity to their story.
Simonyan's profound grief is compounded by her own health struggles and the challenges she faced after her husband's death. In a related account, she has openly discussed her suicide attempt following personal tragedies, revealing the emotional toll these events have taken on her life. This context highlights the depth of her current reflections on love and loss.