Name
Tigran Edmondovich Keosayan
Year of birth
1966
Additional Information
Places of birth:
Russian Federation
Other information:
Function: Actor and director, host of the propagandist TV show on political affairs on NTV channel, called “International Sawmill with Tigran Keosayan”.
Justifications:
Mr Tigran Keosayan is a film director and journalist who has spread anti-Ukrainian propaganda in the Russian media. In his state-funded TV show “International Sawmill with Tigran Keosayan”, he consistently portrayed Ukraine as a weak and corrupt country, which had been maintained solely thanks to Western help. He suggested that the Ukrainian authorities were not legitimate. He repeatedly stated that Crimea belonged to Russia, and that Donbas was not part of Ukraine. Mr Keosayan participated in the “Russian Donbas” forum which was organised by the authorities of the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic” in Donetsk with an aim to spread the doctrine of “Russian Donbas”. He publicly accused Ukraine of escalating the conflict.
Therefore, he is responsible for actively supporting or implementing, actions or policies which undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, as well as stability and security in Ukraine.
The TV show “International Sawmill with Tigran Keosayan” received funding from Russian state-owned companies, which was unjustified on commercial grounds, but was granted as a reward to Mr Keosayan for his propagandist efforts and for his loyalty to Vladimir Putin. Mr Keosayan directed a propagandist film “The Crimean Bridge. Made with Love!”, which glorified the Crimean Bridge which connects the territory of the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula to Russia. The film was reportedly conceived as a gift to President Putin. Alexei Gromov, first deputy head of the presidential administration, helped to ensure state funding for the film, thanks to which Mr Keosayan achieved financial profit.
Therefore he benefitted from Russian decision-makers responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the destabilisation of Ukraine.