A Russian state TV host who suggested that Alaska secede from the United States and become part of Russia once more has fallen into a deep coma, according to his wife. Tigran Keosayan, 59, has experienced "clinical death" after being hospitalized at the beginning of December.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email outside of business hours for comment.
The Context
Keosayan is one of the most prominent Kremlin propagandists. He is married to Russian state TV host Margarita Simonyan.
What To Know
The news that Keosayan was in a "deep" coma was shared on Facebook by blogger Nikita Nebylitskiy, who wrote that he was taken to the hospital on December 27, where two priests saw him after he was informed by one of his "very high-ranking contacts from former radio connections" from Moscow.
Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of the Russian state-controlled broadcaster RT, confirmed her husband's condition in a post on Telegram and wrote, "I didn't want to write until the very end, but since reporters have already started calling, I will write myself. My husband, Tigran Keosayan, survived clinical death and is in a coma. As many know, he has had a very sick heart for a long time.
"I don't know how to write circles in intensive care and take selfies of my sobs, so please forgive me for not writing on social networks," Simonyan continued. "Tigran's mother, like mine, lives with us. It is impossible to describe the state of a woman who lost her eldest son two years ago and is now waiting with all her might for the Lord to have mercy on her youngest. I dare ask those who love Tigran to pray for him."
Keosayan is an actor, director, and television presenter known for hosting the political comedy TV show International Sawmill on NTV and directing the propaganda film Crimean Bridge, according to Novaya Gazeta Europe.
Keosayan suggested in March 2024 that Alaska secede from the U.S. and join Russia, which sold the land to the U.S. in 1867 for $7.2 million. Alaska gained statehood in 1959.
During a broadcast, he said, "Secession from the United States is half the battle. The main thing is to join Russia correctly. What a surprise it would be if the secession of the U.S. came before the secession of Ukraine, wouldn't it?"
The U.S. State Department dismissed Keosayan's idea, particularly that Russian President Vladimir Putin could seize Alaska.
After the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022, Keosayan was sanctioned by countries in the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia for supporting the invasion.
What People Are Saying
Pekka Kallioniemi, a non-resident research fellow at the International Center for Defense and Security, on X: "Margarita Simonyan, a propagandist and the editor-in-chief of both RT and Rossiya Segodnya, claims that her husband, Tigran Keosayan has been fallen into coma. Apparently, Tigran drank the wrong kind of tea."
Pro-Ukrainian X user Jürgen Nauditt: "Russian propagandist Tigran Keosayan fell into a coma. He is the husband of Margarita Simonyan, who threatened every Western country in her TV shows."
Estonian blogger War Translated (Dmitri), on X: "An infamous Kremlin propagandist Tigran Keosayan, 59, husband to Margarita Simonyan, is dying in Russia. He is in a coma after experiencing clinical death caused by heart problems. Among his many inflammatory statements was this: 'Ukrainians are not a brotherly people. They are enemies. They might become brothers again only after we defeat them and begin rehabilitating them.'"
What Happens Next
The circumstances surrounding why Keosayan fell into a coma and whether he will recover are unknown at this time.
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