Russian journalist who protested war during live TV show turns up in court

15 March 2022, 4:19 pm

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Marina Ovsyannikova, a Russian state TV employee, interrupts the evening news broadcast, holding a sign condemning President Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine on March 14, 2022. (Screen capture/Twitter)

A woman who protested Russia’s war during a live broadcast of Russian state television turns up in court after disappearing for around 24 hours.

Marina Ovsyannikova walked into a TV studio yesterday holding a sign protesting the war in Ukraine. She was arrested immediately.

Her lawyers were unable to locate her after her arrest, with one saying police were “hiding” her.

Russian authorities have decided to not charge her under a new law against “fake news,” which carried a heavy possible punishment. She will be instead charged with a misdemeanor related to protesting and faces a 10-day jail sentence.

Ovsyannikova’s father is Ukrainian.

Marina Ovsyannikova, editor at Channel One, who stormed state TV studio with an anti-war poster, is accused of an administrative offense under protesting laws, not fake news laws. So far she faces up to 10 days of arrest, RBC reports. Here is first photo of her since last night. pic.twitter.com/6G2rOxeNmv

— Mary Ilyushina (@maryilyushina) March 15, 2022

She stormed the TV station yesterday while an anchor was speaking during a newscast holding a sign with “No War” scrawled in English across the top, with a message in Russian saying: “Don’t believe the propaganda. They’re lying to you here.” It was signed in English: “Russians against war.”

Within seconds, the news program cut away to another scene.