Marina Ovsyannikova: Russian Journalist Who Opposed Putin's War On Live TV Detained in Moscow

A Russian journalist, who opposed Ukraine war on live TV, was detained. Marina Ovsyannikova was detained on Sunday but was released after a few hours.

Ovsyannikova was taken into custody on suspicion of discrediting Russia's military, according to her lawyer. The charges are potentially related to her comments, which she made last week in court in the support of Ilya Yashin, a Kremlin critic and famous opposition figure in Russia.

Marina Ovsyannikova
Marina Ovsyannikova holding the protest sign after interrupting the news bulletin Twitter

Fake News About The Russian Army Can Lead Up To Prison Sentence Of 15 Years

In Russia, spreading fake news about the Russian army or entities abroad can lead to fines or prison sentence of up to 15 years.

Detention of her news emerged after her entourage said in a message posted on Ovsyannikova's Telegram account, "Marina has been detained and there is no information on where she is."

The message included three photos of her being led by two police officers to a white van, after apparently having been stopped while cycling, according to The Guardian.

Marina Ovsyannikova
Marina Ovsyannikova Twitter

Soon after Ovsyannikova took to Facebook and posted a picture of herself and two dogs. "Went for a walk with the dogs, just stepped outside the gate, people in uniform approached me. Now I'm sitting in Krasnoselsky's ministry of internal affairs," she wrote referring to a police station in Moscow.

It was The First Chinese Warning

"I'm home. Everything is fine. It was the first Chinese warning. But now I know that just in case it is better to leave the house with a bag and a passport. Thanks to the neighbor who was there at that moment. He brought me things and called my lawyer and friends," she added.

In March, Ovsyannikova ran onto a live state TV news with a sign protesting Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Ovsyannikova at Russia's state Channel One burst onto the set of the live broadcast of the nightly news on Monday evening with a sign that read: "Stop the war. They can't put us all in prison."

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This article was first published on July 18, 2022
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