A Russian journalist, Marina Ovsyannikova, who held up a sign in protest of the war in Ukraine behind the studio presenter of Russia’s state TV Channel One, has reportedly disappeared after she was arrested by the Russian authorities.
Ovsyannikova interrupted a live broadcast Monday evening, holding up a sign with “No War” written on it, denouncing the war in Ukraine.
According to a statement posted to the European Commission’s official Facebook page, Ovsyannikova shouted, “Stop the war. No to war,” when bursting onto the set of the country’s most-watched evening news broadcast.
“She condemned Moscow’s military action in Ukraine holding up a hand-written poster in Russian saying: ‘Don’t believe the propaganda. They’re lying to you here.’ It was signed in English: ‘Russians against the war,’” the statement read.
Sky News reports that the Kremlin has reacted to the action of the journalist, calling it “hooliganism.”
Russia has imposed strict controls on news reporting, forbidding the use of the words “war” or “invasion” and instead referring to the conflict as a “special military operation.”
According to Sky News, those who break the laws – which came into force during the invasion – face up to 15 years in prison.
Meanwhile, an official of the European Commission has commended “brave” and “peace loving” Russian citizens for daring to speak out against Russia’s war in Ukraine.
In a video posted to the Commission’s verified Twitter handle, on Tuesday, the official said, “We applaud the courage of brave Russian citizens and peace loving Russian citizens who dare to express their opposition to this war by Putin despite all existing restrictions.
“The most recent example is the Russian TV journalist, Marina Ovsyannikova, who took a brave moral stance and dared to object Kremlin’s lies and propaganda live on air on a state-controlled TV channel.”
While accusing the CEO of the channel as one of the chief propagandists in the war, the official noted that Ovsyannikova “was detained and has disappeared” and “her lawyers are not allowed to contact her.”
In a pre-recorded video released after her arrest, Ovsyannikova condemned the war in Ukraine and regretted being a part of Russian propaganda.
“What is happening now in Ukraine is a crime, and Russia is the aggressor country. The responsibility for that aggression lies on the conscience of only one man, and that man is Vladimir Putin.
“My father is Ukrainian, my mother is Russian. They were never enemies. The necklace on my neck is a symbol that Russia must immediately stop the fratricidal war. Our brotherly nations will then still be able to make peace.
“Sadly, during the past years I worked with Channel One, I spread the Kremlin propaganda and I am very ashamed of this. I am ashamed I allowed lies to be told on TV screens. I am ashamed I allowed Russian people to be fooled.
“We were silent in 2014 when it all started. We did not go out to protest when the Kremlin poisoned Navalny. We simply watched this inhumane regime.
“Now the whole world has turned away from us and the next ten generations of our descendants will not wash away the shame of this fratricidal war.
“We the Russians are wise and proud; it is up to us to stop this madness. Come out to protest, do not be afraid. They cannot put all of us in jail,” she said.
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