Russian TV journalist Ovsyannikova protests war, faces prison

Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova faces prison time after she held up a banner critical of President Putin's actions in Ukraine.

A Russian journalist who was fined three times for criticizing the war in Ukraine has now been detained and faces 10 years in prison if convicted, her lawyer said.

Marina Ovsyannikova, who rose to international fame in March when she held up an anti-war sign behind the anchor of a news broadcast on state-funded Channel One, has been charged with spreading false information about Russia’s armed forces, lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov said in a Telegram post. Ovsyannikova’s home was raided and she was taken for questioning Wednesday, he said.

Ovsyannikova, born to an Ukrainian father and a Russian mother, quit her job as a Channel One producer and became an activist after her initial protest, which led to her arrest and a fine.

In July, she held up a banner calling out Russian President Vladimir Putin that said: "Putin is a killer, his soldiers are fascists. 352 children have been killed (in Ukraine). How many more children should die for you to stop?”

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