Marina Ovsyannikova interrupted a live broadcast of the main Russian state broadcaster by walking into the studio screaming “stop the war”. “Don’t believe the propaganda, they’re lying to you” read a protest sign that she could display behind the newscaster for a few seconds.
With her protest she wanted to show the world that “Russians are against the war.” At the same time, she wanted to make it clear to her compatriots that they should “think critically and critically analyze the information presented to them.”
After her action, Ovshannikova was imprisoned and interrogated for 14 hours, after which she was fined 30,000 rubles (almost 260 euros). She was then released, knowing she faced a 15-year prison sentence for spreading “false information.” She resigned from the state broadcaster she worked for, but refused the political asylum that France was offering her. She wanted to stay in Russia, despite having “ruined” her family’s life with her action.