Fines imposed on Russian TV employees who protested

NEW YORK (AP) — An employee of the Russian national television station, who suspended live news to protest the war in Ukraine, was released on Tuesday and fined $270, but may still be sentenced to imprisonment.

Marina Ovsyannikova told reporters that she could not sleep during the period of detention for 14 hours.

In a news program on Monday afternoon, Ovsyannikova, an employee of Channel 1, said: “Stop the war, do not believe in propaganda. The English language at the top of the panel says “No to war”, and at the bottom it says “Russian war”.

In a previously recorded video, he called on the Russians to participate in anti-war demonstrations and said that “Russia is an aggressor country, and Vladimir Putin takes full responsibility for the aggression.”

The state news agency TASS stated that Ovsyannikova was fined for the video and was investigating a protest under a law prohibiting the dissemination of “deliberately false information” on the use of the Russian Armed Forces. The new law was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Ovsyannikova, father of Ukrainian origin and mother of Russian origin, was detained at night.

“It was a very difficult day in my life, because I literally did not fall asleep for two days, and the interrogation lasted more than 14 hours, I could not contact my family and close friends, provided legal support,” Ovsyannikova said. “I told you.

The court ordered the payment of a fine of 30,000 rubles (about 270 dollars) for organizing unauthorized acts requiring participation in anti-war demonstrations.