Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 1, 2026

Maria Makeeva

Maria Igorevna Makeeva is a Russian and German journalist, writer, radio and television presenter. She previously served as the deputy editor-in-chief of the Russian independent channel TV Rain and as the editor-in-chief of the Berlin-based German Russian-language TV channel OstWest.

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Maria Makeeva
Born
Maria Igorevna Makeeva

(1974-08-25) 25 August 1974
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
CitizenshipSoviet Union → Russia
Alma materRussian State University for the Humanities
OccupationsJournalist, writer, radio and television presenter, media manager
Years active1991–present
Spouses
Leonid Ragozin
​
​
(m. 1999; div. 2018)​

​
(m. 2021)​

Maria Igorevna Makeeva (Russian: Мария Игоревна Макеева) is a Russian and German journalist, writer, radio and television presenter. She previously served as the deputy editor-in-chief of the Russian independent channel TV Rain and as the editor-in-chief of the Berlin-based German Russian-language TV channel OstWest.

Biography

Maria Makeeva was born on 25 August 1974 in Moscow.1 She attended School No. 630 in Moscow, later transferring to School No. 538 in Polyanka to study in a humanities class affiliated with the Russian State University for the Humanities (RSUH). In 1996, she graduated from RSUH with a degree in museology and art history.2 For her thesis, she studied the Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve, where she briefly worked as a tour guide.3

Makeeva began working in the media at age 16, starting with an internship in 1991 in the Alyy parus youth section of Komsomolskaya Pravda.2 She speaks English, Spanish, and German, and has studied Latvian.4

Following the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Makeeva began spending significant time in Riga, Latvia, living between two countries for three years while managing her media career, before permanently relocating to Berlin, Germany, in 2017.4

Career

Russian radio and television

In October 1995, Makeeva began her career as a news presenter at Russkoye Radio, one of the first commercial radio stations in Russia. She also hosted programs such as Lyudyam o Lyudyakh (People to People), Russkiye kanikuly (Russian Vacations), and Chitalka (Reader). By 2005, she hosted the morning talk show Pogovorim (Let's Talk) on Russian News Service. She left the company in 2007, serving at the time as both the host of the daily morning news show and deputy general director of the Russian News Service.5

From 2007 to 2010, she worked at Silver Rain Radio, hosting the daily evening news show Sobytiye dnya (Event of the Day)6 and Delovaya Sreda (Business Environment), a weekly business interview show produced in collaboration with Kommersant.7

In 2010, she joined the independent television channel TV Rain as deputy editor-in-chief and TV presenter.89 At TV Rain, she anchored the daily news and hosted special broadcasts covering elections,10 the 2011–2013 Russian protests,11 the trials of Pussy Riot12 and Alexei Navalny.13 She also interviewed prominent guests, including then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.14

Makeeva was TV Rain's special correspondent during the 2012 United States presidential election.15 She hosted the political show MAKEEVA16 and produced the youth-oriented reality show President-2042.17 In late 2015, she was appointed director of TV Rain's news department and temporarily fulfilled the duties of editor-in-chief after Mikhail Zygar stepped down. She held this position until her departure from the channel in July 2016.18

Germany and OstWest TV

In 2017, Makeeva moved to Berlin and became the editor-in-chief of RTVD, a local Russian-language television channel. She initiated a major rebranding of the station, renaming it to OstWest. Under her leadership, the station launched dozens of new projects, including the weekly news and analysis program East-West. The Week (Восток-Запад. Неделя).19 Makeeva also produced several documentary series and films for the channel, including Am I crazy? (Я псих?), a series about mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic;20 The Family from Mirnyy (Семья из Мирного), centering on environmental activists;21 and the 2023 documentary Save and Be Saved (Спасись и сохранись), co-produced with her husband Alexei Kozlov and Aleksandra Perepelova.22

In late 2023, she released an interview cycle on the channel titled What's wrong with the 90s? (Что не так с 90-ми?) shortly before stepping down as editor-in-chief later that year.23

In 2022, the OstWest team received the Special Prize (Förderpreis) from the German National Foundation (Deutsche Nationalstiftung), with the jury citing the channel's contribution to defending democracy and countering propaganda.2425 Later that year, OstWest TV was awarded the special prize at the Hanns Joachim Friedrichs Award for excellence in television journalism.26

Literary career

In 2024, Makeeva made her debut as a novelist with the fantasy thriller Bear Ears. Amber Man (Медвежьи уши. Янтарный человек), published by Jūra&Laiki under the Vidim Books imprint. The book, described by her as a "novel of dreams," was illustrated by Latvian artist Ilona Gansovska and drew heavily from her years spending time in Latvia.427

Personal life

From 1999 to 2018, Makeeva was married to international journalist Leonid Ragozin.1 In 2021, she married Russian businessman and human rights advocate Alexei Kozlov.28

References

References

  1. "Мария Макеева: фото, биография, фильмография, новости - Вокруг ТВ". Вокруг ТВ (in Russian). 21 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  2. "ETVNET: Мария Макеева". www.etvnet.com (in Russian). Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  3. "Мария Макеева". snob.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  4. "Роман с Ригой". FreeCity.lv (in Russian). 12 July 2024.
  5. "Русская служба новостей вышла из эфира". www.kommersant.ru (in Russian). 18 May 2007. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  6. "События | Серебряный Дождь". www.silver.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  7. "История Серебряного Дождя: история программы «Деловая среда» | Серебряный Дождь". www.silver.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  8. "Мария Макеева в рубрике «Интервью с ДОЖДЕМ» ответила на вопросы телезрителей". tvrain.tv. 12 August 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  9. "Maria Makeeva". Conference of Human Rights. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  10. "Ассоциация «Голос»: Путин набрал 50,2% голосов". tvrain.tv. 5 March 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  11. "Юрий Сапрыкин: «Прохорова не будет, Кудрин будет»". tvrain.tv. 24 December 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  12. "Адвокат охранника и свечницы: я слушал защиту Pussy Riot и удивлялся". tvrain.tv. 10 October 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  13. "После «Кировлеса» Навальный ждет дела о краже слона: и что, рыдать у вас в эфире?". tvrain.tv. 24 December 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  14. "Дмитрий Медведев на Дожде. Полная версия". tvrain.tv. 26 April 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  15. "Другие выборы". tvrain.tv. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  16. "Макеева". tvrain.tv. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  17. "Президент-2042". tvrain.tv. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  18. "Экс-главред РБК Роман Баданин возглавит телеканал «Дождь»". AdIndex (in Russian). 29 June 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  19. "О нас". OstWest TV (in Russian). Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  20. "Я псих - OstWest TV". OstWest TV (in Russian).
  21. "«Остаться в стране и выжить»". 7x7 (in Russian). 5 June 2023.
  22. "Спасись и сохранись". Artdoc.Media (in Russian). Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  23. "Макеева покинула пост главреда OstWest". Wikipedia (in German). Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  24. nationalstiftung (28 April 2022). "Der Förderpreis 2022 geht an OstWest TV". Deutsche Nationalstiftung (in German). Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  25. "Wie ein russischer TV-Sender Putin Paroli bietet". www.t-online.de (in German). 15 April 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  26. "Pressemitteilung 2022 - Hanns-Joachim-Friedrichs-Preis". www.hanns-joachim-friedrichs.de. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  27. "Можно ли убить одного? Роман в сновидениях «Медвежьи уши. Янтарный человек» — литературный дебют Марии Макеевой" (in Russian). Novaya Gazeta. 1 November 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  28. "Алексей Козлов — биография". Wikipedia (in Russian).
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