Russia journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who opposed Ukraine invasion on TV, was held for 14 hours: Report

Marina Ovsyannikova, the Russian journalist who opposed Ukraine’s invasion on live state TV, was questioned for over 14 hours, she told media, as per CNN reports. Earlier in the day, he lawyer had said that she was detained by authorities but her whereabouts were unknown. 

Ovsyannikov, who is a Channel 1 editor, reportedly gatecrashed the prime time news broadcast carrying an anti-war banner. “NO WAR,” the message read.

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“Stop the war. Don’t fall for the misinformation. They’re lying to you here,” she told media. 

Ovsyannikov said that she wasn’t allowed legal counsel while being questioned by authorities. She was found guilty of administrative offense by a Moscow court for her video statement urging Russians to protest. 

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“Those were indeed very difficult days of my life. I literally spent two days with no sleep. The questioning lasted over 14 hours, I wasn’t allowed to contact my relatives or friends, I wasn’t provided with any legal assistance. So I am in quite a difficult position,” Ovsyannikova told the media following a court hearing.

Ovsyannikova spent the night in police custody and on Tuesday Moscow’s Ostankino District Court ordered Ovsyannikova to pay a fine of 30,000 rubles (about $270) on charges of organizing unsanctioned actions for her call to take part in demonstrations against the war.

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“What is going on in Ukraine is illegal, and Russia is the aggressor. Vladimir Putin bears sole responsibility for this attack,” she had said in the video. 

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged Ovsyannikova in his nightly address. He said, “I am grateful to those Russians who do not stop trying to convey the truth. To those who fight disinformation and tell the truth, real facts to their friends and loved ones. And personally to the woman who entered the studio of Channel One with a poster against the war”, the US Sun reported. 

Meanwhile, Fox News Channel camera operator Pierre Zakrzewski was killed in Ukraine on Monday, according to Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott, who informed workers on Tuesday. He was 55.