Marina Ovsyannikova is a Russian journalist who became a global symbol of resistance against the Putin regime in March 2022, when she interrupted a live broadcast on Channel One Russia, the country’s main state-controlled television channel, to protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
She held up a sign that read “No War. Stop the war. Don’t believe the propaganda. They’re lying to you here.”
Ovsyannikova was arrested and fined, but her act of bravery inspired people around the world and made her a hero to many Ukrainians.
Marina Ovsyannikova Bio
Ovsyannikova was born in Odessa, Ukraine, in 1978. She studied journalism at the Kuban State University in Krasnodar, Russia, and began her career as a news reporter for local television stations.
In 2003, she joined Channel One Russia, where she worked as a producer and editor.
Ovsyannikova has said that she had always been a loyal supporter of the Russian government, but that she began to question the government’s narrative on the invasion of Ukraine after seeing the devastation it was causing to the Ukrainian people. She also said that she was motivated to protest because she was concerned about the future of her two children in Russia.
On March 14, 2022, Ovsyannikova burst onto the set of Channel One Russia’s flagship news program, Vremya, during a live broadcast. She was holding a sign that read “No War. Stop the war. Don’t believe the propaganda.
They’re lying to you here.” Ovsyannikova shouted the slogan on the air for a few seconds before the broadcast was cut off.
Ovsyannikova was arrested and detained by Russian police after her protest. She was charged with organizing an unsanctioned public event, which is a misdemeanour punishable by a fine of up to 30,000 rubles (about $280). Ovsyannikova was released from detention after paying the fine.
Ovsyannikova’s act of bravery was praised by many people around the world, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who called her a “hero.”
Ovsyannikova’s protest also drew attention to the Russian government’s crackdown on dissent and its efforts to control the flow of information about the war in Ukraine.
In April 2022, Ovsyannikova resigned from Channel One Russia and fled Russia with her daughter. She has since spoken out against the Putin regime and the war in Ukraine. She has also written a book about her experiences, titled “Between Good and Evil: How I Finally Opposed the Kremlin Propaganda.”
Ovsyannikova is a courageous and inspiring figure. She has risked her own safety to stand up for what she believes in and to speak out against injustice.
She is a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there are always people who are willing to fight for freedom and democracy.
Marina Ovsyannikova husband
Marina Ovsyannikova’s husband is Igor Ovsyannikov, a television director for RT. The couple were reported by one source in March 2022 as being “recently separated”.
She has relatives in Ukraine, but she does not have much contact with them.
In October 2022, Ovsyannikova took her young daughter and fled Russia. They are now living in Paris.
It is unclear whether Ovsyannikova and her husband are still married.