Russian police have raided the home of the television journalist who became world famous for disrupting news broadcast on Russian television with a protest against the war in Ukraine.
Marina Ovsyannikova, who has already been fined repeatedly for her criticism of the Russian army and the Russian invasion, has to reckon with a long prison sentence.
The raid may be a reaction to the journalist’s latest protest. In Moscow, near the Kremlin, the seat of government, she held up a placard that read: “Putin is a murderer; his soldiers are fascists.”
Ovshannikova accuses the authorities of intimidating opponents of the war. Since the invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, the Russian government has passed several laws criminalizing criticism of the war. The journalist disrupted a live broadcast of the state broadcaster she worked for in March by walking into the studio and shouting, “stop the war.”
She also displayed a protest sign asking not to believe the state media propaganda. The station employee then resigned and went abroad for a short time.