She posted a video and photo on her Telegram channel on Friday of her holding a protest sign on the banks of the Moskva, in the heart of Moscow. In the background, the Kremlin can be seen across the river. ‘Putin is a murderer,’ says the poster – and, ‘His soldiers are fascists. 352 children have died. How many children have to die before you stop?”
The post does not say when the footage was shot. It also remains unclear how long Ovsyannikova stood on the sidewalk with the poster in her hand, and whether she was noticed by security forces who are usually on the scene quickly for these kinds of protests. She herself has not reported any arrest. The video shows a silent blonde woman in light pants and high heels holding a poster in front of the Kremlin. There are hugs in front of her.
Ovsyannikova gained international fame for denouncing the war against Ukraine. Then, during a live broadcast of the Russian news, she held up her placard in front of the studio camera, shouting ‘No to the war’ and ‘Stop the war. Don’t believe the propaganda. You are being lied to.’ The journalist was briefly arrested and charged with discrediting the military. According to an insider, she got off mercifully with a fine of 3,000 rubles (almost 260 euros), although she can still get 15 years in prison.
Marina Ovsyannikova was able to travel to Berlin last April. Since her protest at state television, she also worked for the German newspaper DIE WELT. In some interviews, Ovsyannikova is also said to have spoken out against Western sanctions against Russia, which has led to questions about her fairly lenient treatment by the Russian authorities.