Russian journalist who protested Ukraine war live on TV and held banner saying ‘Putin is a killer’ has home raided
Russian authorities have raided the home of a former state TV journalist who quit after making an on-air protest against the war in Ukraine.
Marina Ovsyannikova gained international attention in March after bursting into a studio of Russian state TV, her then employer, to denounce the war in Ukraine.
She held a poster that read: “Stop the war, don’t believe the propaganda, they are lying to you here”.
At the time she was the editor of the Vremya nightly news programme, but after quitting her job Ms Ovsyannikova became somewhat of an activist, staging anti-war pickets and speaking out against the conflict.
She was fined for flouting protest laws and later took to social media to condemn those responsible for the ongoing war. She was fined 30,000 roubles (around £223.40 at the time).
She later told Sky’s Moscow correspondent Diana Magnay she has no regrets about her actions, despite facing hostility from all sides – including her family.
Moscow has now launched a criminal case against her, on the charge of spreading false information about the Russian armed forces, her lawyer said on social media.
If convicted, she faces up to 15 years in prison.
Her lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov told the independent news site Meduza the case is likely linked to a protest Ms Ovsyannikova staged last month, holding a banner that said “(Russian President Vladimir) Putin is a killer, his soldiers are fascists”.
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Following the raid, Ms Ovsyannikova is expected to be brought into the Investigative Committee for questioning, he said on Telegram.
She has been fined two more times in recent weeks for disparaging the military in a critical Facebook post and comments she made at a court where opposition figure Ilya Yashin was remanded into custody pending trial accused of spreading false information about the military.
