“Stop the war. Don’t believe the propaganda. They’re lying to you here.” Read a poster held by a newscaster of the most-watched news show in Russia. On March 14th, while some were out celebrating pi day, Marina Ovsyannikova was risking time in prison by hijacking a news broadcaster limelight in order to protest the Ukrainian war propaganda sent out by Russia.
Marina Ovsyannikova, an employee of Channel One, disrupted Channel One’s most famous news show, Vermya, in order to spread the truth about the Ukrainian war to Russian people. Having jumped in front of the camera, Ovsyannikova is heard shouting “Stop the war. No to war.” Before Ovsyannikova could discuss her topic in more depth, the broadcaster drowned her out by talking louder and the show cut to another segment.
Refusing to be silenced, Ovsyannikova released a pre-recorded video after the protest exclaiming her shame in working for the station. In her own words, Ovsyannikova claimed that Channel One “allowed the zombification of the Russian people,” saying that even though she had worked to spread Kremlin propaganda for a number of years, she is currently “ashamed that [she] was allowed to tell lies from the television screen...” In the end, Ovsyannikova delivered a speech designed to inspire many Russians to action by saying; “We are just silently watching this anti-human regime. And now the whole world has turned away from us and the next 10 generations won’t be able to clean themselves from the shame of this fratricidal war. What is happening in Ukraine is a crime and Russia is the aggressor. The responsibility of this aggression lies on the shoulders of only one person: Vladimir Putin.” Additionally, Ovsyannikova calls her fellow Russians into action by telling them “Only we have the power to stop all this madness. Go to the protests. Don’t be afraid of anything. They can’t imprison us all.”
After Ovsyannikova’s statements were made against Putin and the Russian government, Ovsyannikova was detained. As of March 14th, 2022, she is being held in a small Moscow police station. Ovysannikova's action will most likely get her thrown in jail under Russia’s newly instituted laws making the spread of “fake” news—basically any news about the war against Ukraine that isn’t strictly regulated by Putin—illegal. This law allows a 15-year prison sentence, and to be truthful, the likelihood of her not being processed to the fullest possible extent of the law is slim to none.
With that said, Ovsyannikova's actions have had an impact. Hours after her protest, 40,000 comments flooded Ovsyannikova’s Facebook page praising her bravery. While Russia has been pushing the boundaries of censorship by arresting a little under 15,000 protesters, blocking over 25 media outlets, and banning popular social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, thousands of people like Ovsyannikova have spoken out and are continuing to speak out against Putin’s actions and in support of Ukrainians.
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