Marina Ovsiannikova, a Russian journalist known for denouncing the assault on Ukraine on television, said Friday that her medical tests did not show traces of poisoning. Marina Ovsiannikova said she was hospitalized after feeling “sick”. “I feel much better now. Most of the tests have been done. No toxic substances were found in my blood. There is no question of poisoning,” she wrote on Telegram.
On Thursday, an investigation was opened in Paris for “suspicion of poisoning” on the journalist, who fled Russia in October 2022, according to a source close to the matter. The prosecution declared to AFP that she had “felt unwell when leaving her home” and said she “feared poisoning”.
No trace of suspicious “white powder”
“Guys, I did indeed go to the hospital. I did not speak to journalists and I hoped I could keep this information secret,” she said in her message on Friday. She claimed that no suspicious “white powder” was on her doorknob, contrary “to what was reported by an anonymous source, echoed by respected publications.”
“The deterioration of my condition was so sudden that the French police decided to investigate,” she stressed, recalling that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “long been associated with war and the poisoning of public figures.” politicians and journalists.
Sentenced to eight and a half years in prison
Last February, Marina Ovsiannikova said she “feared for her life” during a press conference. “When I talk to my friends in Russia, they ask me what I prefer: Novichok, Polonium [des substances mortelles dont les agents russes sont accusés de se servir] or a car accident,” she assured.
She was sentenced last week in absentia in Russia to eight and a half years in prison for criticizing the Russian army. The journalist was prosecuted for “disseminating false information” about the Russian armed forces. She was fined for similar acts in August 2022.