Russian journalist disrupts state TV broadcast to protest against Ukraine war; watch video here
Marina Ovsyannikova might face prison time under a recently enacted Russian law that makes it illegal to spread ‘fake news’ about the Russian Army
Screengrab from the video. Credit: YouTube/Reuters
The more Russia’s government seeks to seize control of Ukraine, the more ordinary citizens are speaking out in favour of a peaceful resolution. In an incident that took place yesterday, 14 March, Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor at Russia’s state-run Channel One, interrupted the channel’s main news show with a unique protest against Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
On Monday evening, the journalist stormed the set of the live telecast of the evening news, exclaiming, “Stop the war. No to war.”
“Don’t believe the propaganda,” she continued, holding a sign. They’re lying to you here.” “Russians against the war” was written on the sign in English.
The news anchor continued to read from her teleprompter loudly in an attempt to hush out Ovsyannikova, but her protest was visible and audible for several seconds before the channel switched to a recorded programme.
Earlier, Ovsyannikova had also issued a pre-recorded video through the OVD-Info human rights group in which she professed her regret for working for Channel One and spreading “Kremlin propaganda.”
Take a look at the live broadcast clip here:
After watching the clip, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy complimented the editor for her protest, according to a report in The Guardian. Ovsyannikova was detained shortly after her protest and was kept at the Ostankino television centre, according to OVD-Info.
She might now have to face prison time under a recently enacted Russian law that makes it illegal to propagate “fake news” about the Russian army. Anyone convicted under this law will face a prison term of 15 years, as per reports. Ovsyannikova may also face legal consequences for instigating “civil unrest” by encouraging Russians to protest.
In recent days, as ordinary people have flocked to the streets to protest against the Ukraine war, Russian authorities used severe methods to prevent people from registering their discontent with the conflict. According to The Guardian, roughly 15,000 people, including children and the elderly, have been detained for opposing the war till now.
A Russian television channel, TV Rain (Dozhd), was compelled to halt operations earlier this month since it was also opposed to the war. The channel was one of the few remaining independent media outlets in the country.
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
