Ex-TV journalist found guilty of ‘discrediting’ Russia’s armed forces after condemning war
A Russian former TV journalist has been found guilty of discrediting the country’s armed forces after she condemned the Kremlin’s actions in Ukraine on social media.
Appearing at an administrative court in Moscow, Marina Ovsyannikova labelled the proceedings against her as “absurd”.
“The evidence confirms Ovsyannikova’s guilt. There is no reason to doubt its authenticity,” the judge said after a short hearing.
The judge found her guilty of the posts on social media and fined her 50,000 roubles (£677) under a law passed in March, soon after President Vladimir Putin launched what he calls his “special military operation” against Ukraine.
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During the proceedings, the 44-year-old repeated her protest and said she would not retract her words.
“War is horror, blood and shame,” she said.
“Your accusations are like accusing me of spreading monkeypox,” she said.
“The purpose of the trial is to intimidate all the people who oppose the war in the Russian Federation.”
She described Russia as an aggressor country, saying: “The beginning of this war is the biggest crime of our government.”
The former journalist gained international attention in March after bursting into a studio of Russian state TV, her then employer, to denounce the war in Ukraine.
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At the time she was the editor of the Vremya nightly news programme.
She was fined for flouting protest laws at the time and later took to social media to say that those responsible for Russia’s actions would find themselves in the dock before an international tribunal.
After storming the live TV set in March, Ovsyannikova told Reuters she was scared for her safety and that of her children but she has no plans to leave Russia.
