The general counsel for Russian state media employee, Marina Ovsyannikova, says she is “not scared” as she faces charges for protesting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on live television.
During an appearance on Fox News, Ovsyannikova’s general counsel, Anastasia Burakova, told the network she “spent more than 14 hours in [the] police office, and so she was interrogated by different people. We still don’t know who the people are, and we don’t know their names or their position[s].”
When asked what the reaction was to Ovsyannikova’s protest, Burakova replied, “I saw a lot of support on social networks but, for sure, now Russians are afraid to speak in public because of new legislation about this anti-war campaign.”
She continued, “I think most people support her but can’t say it.”
Additionally, Burakova was asked if her client is scared something could happen to her beyond a jail sentence.
“Marina is not scared. She wants to stay in Russia. She said that she love[s] Russia and want[s] to live there… She is really [a] patriot,” Burakova said.
Watch her comments below:
Ovsyannikova was fined 30,000 roubles, roughly $280, for her demonstration, as IJR reported.
Her sign stated, “No war. Stop war, don’t believe in propaganda, they’re lying to you here. Russians against war.”
In case you missed it:
This is fantastic. A brave woman interrupted Russian state TV’s live broadcast with a sign that says: “Stop the war. Don’t believe propaganda. They’re lying to you here." It was signed: "Russians against war.”pic.twitter.com/673cO668nM
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) March 14, 2022
After being released, Ovsyannikova thanked everyone for their support, adding, “These were really very difficult days in my life because I spent literally two days without sleep.”
In a video she allegedly made before she interrupted the broadcast, Ovsyannikova said, “What is happening now in Ukraine is a crime, and Russia is the aggressor country, and the responsibility for this aggression lies on the conscience of only one person. This man is Vladimir Putin.”
She continued, “Unfortunately, for the past few years, I have been working on Channel One and doing Kremlin propaganda, and now I am very ashamed of it. It’s a shame that I allowed to speak lies from the TV screens, ashamed that I allowed to zombify Russian people.”