On Monday, a brave protester with a sign denouncing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine disrupted an evening show on Russian official television network Channel One.
“Stop the war. No to war!” the woman shouted as she lifted up a sign reading, “Don’t believe propaganda. They’re lying to you.”
Multiple journalists identified the lady who stormed the station as Marina Ovsyannikova, a Channel One editor, after seeing a clip of the broadcast go viral on social media. Police are said to have already detained her.
A woman burst onto Russia’s main live evening newscast today with a sign that says:
— max seddon (@maxseddon) March 14, 2022
“Stop the war
Don’t believe propaganda
They’re lying to you”
And chanting: “Stop the war! No to war!”pic.twitter.com/pKVKZFVEM3
Channel One is one of Russia’s most prominent state-run television networks, airing Putin’s pro-Ukraine propaganda. The network is undertaking an “internal review” of the incident, according to the Tass news agency.
Russia approved a law earlier this month making reports on the invasion that contradict the government’s official narrative illegal, threatening journalists with up to 15 years in prison.
According to the United Nations, Russia arrested at least 13,000 demonstrators in the first two weeks of the conflict for speaking out against the invasion, which has resulted in the deaths of almost 600 civilians, including 43 children.
