Marina Ovsyannikova
Russian journalist shared protest plans with friend
Marina Ovsyannikova speaks to journalists after a hearing at Moscow’s Ostankino District Court
© Mikhail Japaridze / TASS / Picture Alliance / DPA
Her protest against the Ukraine war in a Russian news program suddenly made Marina Ovsyannikova world famous. The Russian journalist, who has Ukrainian parents, has become increasingly angry, a friend reports.
Marina Ovsyannikova looked quite exhausted when she left the court in Moscow and answered the journalists briefly: “I had two restless days that I spent without sleep. The interrogation lasted more than 14 hours. I was not allowed to contact my family and received no legal help. (…) But today I have to rest first,” said Ovsyannikova. She had previously been sentenced to a fine of 30,000 rubles (currently around 226 euros). It remains to be seen whether further proceedings will follow because of their spectacular protest action.
The plan to hijack the evening news program on the state-owned Channel 1, Russia’s most popular TV station, with a poster protesting the war in Ukraine (“Stop the war”) had been in the making for some time, as the British newspaper “The Guardian” now does reported. Accordingly, Owssjannikova initiated a friend (“a friend”) into her plans. The friend wanted to remain anonymous for security reasons.
Owssjannikova became more and more angry
As the anonymous friend reports, Ovsyannikova’s anger over the Russian attack on Ukraine grew steadily. “Two days before (before the protest) she told me what she’s up to.” She was also fully aware of the consequences of the action. “It’s so brave that she speaks her mind. I’m obviously very worried about her,” says the anonymous source.
Ovsyannikova has known the source for years. She describes the journalist as a “big-hearted woman” who cares about people and friends. “She had a very good and comfortable life and traveled a lot,” says the friend. And: He didn’t expect her to go through with her protest. Another acquaintance quoted in the Guardian report describes Ovsyannikova as a “sensitive and intelligent” person.
“She’s a Hero”
Another aspect the source talks about is the fact that Ovsyannikova herself, as a journalist, has supported the state propaganda system for years. He looked down on her because of her work for Kanal 1: “I thought how can an honest person tell such lies.” Owssjannikova also addresses this point in the video that she published on the Internet parallel to her action. Among other things, she said there that she was ashamed of having spread Kremlin propaganda for years.
But now, the friend continues, he is proud of her on the one hand, but also afraid at the same time. “I cried when I saw her there on TV. In that moment I knew that her life will never be the same again. She is a heroine.”
Source:“The Guardians”.