Olga Skabeyeva | |
---|---|
Born | 11 December 1984
Volzhsky |
Other names | Iron doll of Putin TV |
Alma mater | |
Occupation | Television presenter, political pundit, propagandist |
Employer | |
Spouse(s) | Yevgeny Popov |
Olga Vladimirovna Skabeyeva or Skabeeva ( Russian: Ольга Владимировна Скабеева; born 11 December 1984) is a Russian television presenter, political commentator, [1] and propagandist. [2] Skabeyeva received the nickname "Iron Doll of Putin TV" due to her criticism of the Russian opposition. [3] [4]
Skabeyeva was born in 1984 in Volzhsky, in the Volgograd Oblast of the Soviet Union. [5] At first, she studied at a private Russian-American school, from which she graduated with honors. [6] [7]
In the tenth grade, she decided to become a journalist. [4] She studied at the Faculty of Journalism at Saint Petersburg State University, where she graduated from with honors in 2008. [8] [9] Her journalistic career began at a local newspaper. [4] [5]
Skabeyeva rose to prominence in 2012–2013 with her coverage of the Pussy Riot trial, the concurrent surge in anti-government rallies and subsequent criminal investigations into the activities of Russian opposition supporters. Her critical reports of the Russian opposition prompted TV critic Irina Petrovskaya to describe her as a member of Russian state TV's "special operation forces", and her tone as "prosecutorial and accusatory". [3]
Since 2015–2016, Skabeyeva has hosted the author's program Vesti.doc on the Russia-1 state TV channel. [4] Since 12 September 2016, together with husband Yevgeny Popov, she has hosted the 60 Minut (60 minutes), a social and political talk show on Russia-1, billed as a discussion program on high-profile topics. [10] [11]
In 2018, Skabeyeva was involved in an attempt to discredit the British investigation into the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. [12] [13] Her television program said the Skripal poisoning case was 'an elaborate British plot to smear Russia'.
According to an Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) investigation published 29 July 2021, Skabeyeva and her husband own real estate in Moscow with a total value of over 300 million rubles (US$4 million). [14] [15] A 2020 investigation by The Insider website found that Skabeyeva officially earns 12.8 million rubles a year, and her husband 12.9 million. [16] [17] Their only reported sources of income are the state-owned media holding VGTRK and its subsidiary TV channel Russia-1. [16] [18]
Skabeyeva is a two-time winner of the Russian television TEFI Award, receiving the distinction in 2017 and 2018. [19]
She called the Russian invasion of Ukraine an effort "to protect the people of Donbas from a Nazi regime" and said it was "without exaggeration, a crucial junction in history". [20] On 15 April 2022, she reacted to the sinking of the Russian cruiser Moskva by the Ukrainian forces, saying: "One can safely call that it has escalated into World War III." [21]
In September 2023, she said that Russia should have nuked Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in London. [22] In June 2023, she suggested that Russia would need about "two or three million" Chinese soldiers to win the war in Ukraine. [23]
Skabeyeva criticized Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, saying that "Only the Americans can stop this bloodbath but they are doing exactly the opposite." [24]
On 24 February 2023, the United States Department of State imposed financial sanctions on Skabeyeva owing. In a press release, the State Department described them as "hosts of a Russian talk show where they predominately disseminate pro-Russia propaganda for the war against Ukraine." [25] Four days later the European Union sanctioned Skabeyeva, who was also sanctioned by the UK government on 15 March 2022 in relation to the Russo-Ukrainian War. [26]
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Olga Skabeyeva | |
---|---|
Born | 11 December 1984
Volzhsky |
Other names | Iron doll of Putin TV |
Alma mater | |
Occupation | Television presenter, political pundit, propagandist |
Employer | |
Spouse(s) | Yevgeny Popov |
Olga Vladimirovna Skabeyeva or Skabeeva ( Russian: Ольга Владимировна Скабеева; born 11 December 1984) is a Russian television presenter, political commentator, [1] and propagandist. [2] Skabeyeva received the nickname "Iron Doll of Putin TV" due to her criticism of the Russian opposition. [3] [4]
Skabeyeva was born in 1984 in Volzhsky, in the Volgograd Oblast of the Soviet Union. [5] At first, she studied at a private Russian-American school, from which she graduated with honors. [6] [7]
In the tenth grade, she decided to become a journalist. [4] She studied at the Faculty of Journalism at Saint Petersburg State University, where she graduated from with honors in 2008. [8] [9] Her journalistic career began at a local newspaper. [4] [5]
Skabeyeva rose to prominence in 2012–2013 with her coverage of the Pussy Riot trial, the concurrent surge in anti-government rallies and subsequent criminal investigations into the activities of Russian opposition supporters. Her critical reports of the Russian opposition prompted TV critic Irina Petrovskaya to describe her as a member of Russian state TV's "special operation forces", and her tone as "prosecutorial and accusatory". [3]
Since 2015–2016, Skabeyeva has hosted the author's program Vesti.doc on the Russia-1 state TV channel. [4] Since 12 September 2016, together with husband Yevgeny Popov, she has hosted the 60 Minut (60 minutes), a social and political talk show on Russia-1, billed as a discussion program on high-profile topics. [10] [11]
In 2018, Skabeyeva was involved in an attempt to discredit the British investigation into the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. [12] [13] Her television program said the Skripal poisoning case was 'an elaborate British plot to smear Russia'.
According to an Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) investigation published 29 July 2021, Skabeyeva and her husband own real estate in Moscow with a total value of over 300 million rubles (US$4 million). [14] [15] A 2020 investigation by The Insider website found that Skabeyeva officially earns 12.8 million rubles a year, and her husband 12.9 million. [16] [17] Their only reported sources of income are the state-owned media holding VGTRK and its subsidiary TV channel Russia-1. [16] [18]
Skabeyeva is a two-time winner of the Russian television TEFI Award, receiving the distinction in 2017 and 2018. [19]
She called the Russian invasion of Ukraine an effort "to protect the people of Donbas from a Nazi regime" and said it was "without exaggeration, a crucial junction in history". [20] On 15 April 2022, she reacted to the sinking of the Russian cruiser Moskva by the Ukrainian forces, saying: "One can safely call that it has escalated into World War III." [21]
In September 2023, she said that Russia should have nuked Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in London. [22] In June 2023, she suggested that Russia would need about "two or three million" Chinese soldiers to win the war in Ukraine. [23]
Skabeyeva criticized Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, saying that "Only the Americans can stop this bloodbath but they are doing exactly the opposite." [24]
On 24 February 2023, the United States Department of State imposed financial sanctions on Skabeyeva owing. In a press release, the State Department described them as "hosts of a Russian talk show where they predominately disseminate pro-Russia propaganda for the war against Ukraine." [25] Four days later the European Union sanctioned Skabeyeva, who was also sanctioned by the UK government on 15 March 2022 in relation to the Russo-Ukrainian War. [26]
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cite news}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (
link)