Who is Russian TV editor Marina Ovsyannikova? as She Interrupts Live Broadcast with Sign Reading ‘No War’
3 min read
Marina Ovsyannikova, an employee of Moscow’s popular state-owned television network Channel One took part in a protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on its nightly news broadcast on Monday. She revealed to the Russians that the media is lying to them and called out to end the war. Moreover, she is ashamed to work under the banner of a media company that broadcasts pro-war messages.
Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor at a TV channel in Russia, interrupted a live broadcast with a sign that read “NO WAR. Stop the war. Don't believe the propaganda. They're lying to you here.” She has since been detained. This is an act of incredible courage. pic.twitter.com/BOJ70m2ztv
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) March 14, 2022
Who is Marina Ovsyannikova?
Channel One’s nightly news broadcast in Moscow was interrupted by an employee protesting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Monday. The employee is this regard is Marina Ovsyannikov, the editor of the network. The woman held up a sign that read “NO WAR” in English behind anchor Ekaterina Andreeva. As she addressed the audience, she asked the state-controlled media to stop lying to the people and to end the war.
Marina Ovsyannikova protests against the invasion on Russian media
Marina Ovsyannikova had already recorded a video condemning the invasion. In the video, she expressed her regret over contributing to the broadcasts on Channel One advocating war. Furthermore she revealed that her father is Ukrainian. Moreover, she revealed that she as been a part of Channel One for a long time now. The same channel has been a part of the Kremlin propaganda as well and she is ashamed by this. In response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the brave Russian woman ran onto live state television news and held up a sign saying: ‘They can’t jail us all.’
English translation of Marina Ovsyannikova's statement before her on-air protest and subsequent arrest tonight.@JuliaDavisNews subs pic.twitter.com/qs28QcgHM9
— Expat in Kyiv (@expatua) March 14, 2022
After the fall of the Soviet Union, Channel One became the first station to broadcast in the Russian Federation. It has more than 250 million viewers worldwide. After she finished speaking, producers quickly switched to another news report. This was to prevent Marina Ovsyannikova from outing the truth about Putin’s war. Before she took her brave stunt, she posted a video on YouTube saying: ‘The responsibility for this aggression lies with one man: Vladimir Putin.’
Police reportedly detained Marina Ovsyannikova, but it is unclear what will happen to her. Russian authorities have targeted both protesters and independent journalists in the aftermath of the invasion. Vladimir Putin signed a law on March 4 criminalizing demonstrations against the war and broadcasting “fake news” about Ukraine. In both cases, a prison sentence may be up to 15 years. Due to absence of independent media outlets, state-sponsored television has portrayed the invasion as a limited military operation. Moreover, it avoided images of Russian-caused destruction, and downplaying Russian casualties.
Riddha Kundu
I'm Riddha Kundu, a 23-year-old aspiring Chartered Accountant from Kolkata, and I'm passionate about writing contents.
