Margarita Simonyan, chief editor of the Russian state news agency Rossiya Segodnya and RT television, said she pardoned 13 people convicted of plotting to assassinate her and that she is ready to help their families.
The Second Western District Military Court on Friday sentenced Mikhail Balashov, accused of preparing to assassinate Simonyan, to 20 years in prison. The other 12 defendants received prison terms of 6 to 18 years.
In an audio message posted on the "Max" platform, Simonyan said: "I hold no grudge against anyone; I pardoned them immediately. If they have young children or elderly parents, I will help those in need."
The chief editor also said she was shown photos and videos that showed the convicts watching her near her home.
"The main defendant received 20 years. I don't know what to say about that. As a Christian, it saddens me that people would plot to take another's life for $50,000, $150,000 or any amount," Simonyan said.
In 2022, Balashov founded a cell in Moscow that embraced National Socialism and recruited minors into the group. Within less than a year, members carried out a total of six attacks and posted videos of them online for extremist propaganda.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, no later than June 16, 2023, unidentified individuals offered Balashov $50,000 to kill Simonyan. In July of that year, Balashov was detained by security forces while on his way to a hidden cache where a Kalashnikov assault rifle and ammunition were stored.