Russian propagandist Simonyan was offended after reading The Times, where she was called a "beaver-eater"

The newspaper wrote about Simonyan in its diary under the heading "Putin’s petulant pet".

"Vladimir Putin’s pet broadcaster seems a bit tetchy at the moment.

Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of RT, the Russian state television network, turned on the BBC’s Steve Rosenberg during an election event in Moscow.

“Stop picking on us,” she whined, complaining that the West was “trying to destroy Russia”.

Rosenberg observed that the West didn’t invade Ukraine, to which Simonyan petulantly sniffed: “You’re so old. And naive.”

At 55, Rosenberg is nearer her age than Putin’s. Simonyan is known as “bobroedka” or “beaver-eater” because she once boasted of having the furry creature for a new year’s dinner.

She wasn’t always so grumpy. A few years ago, Madame Beaver told Rosenberg he was “a very nice man, a gentleman”, before saying it would be a pity if he had to be expelled for being mean about her boss.", the Times wrote.

Simonyan reacted angrily, complaining about the diminishing British humour.