There has so far been no official statement on the reasons for her arrest, which came days after Ovsyannikova demonstrated alone near the Kremlin, holding a sign criticizing the military intervention in Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who became famous after her protest on live television against the invasion of Ukraine, was arrested in Russia on Sunday, her entourage and her lawyer said.
There has so far been no official statement on the reasons for her arrest, which came days after Ovsyannikova demonstrated alone near the Kremlin, holding a sign criticizing the military intervention in Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Marina was arrested. There is no information about her whereabouts,” reads the message posted by people from her environment on the journalist’s personal Telegram account. The message is accompanied by three photos showing the 44-year-old journalist being driven into a white van by two police officers, who apparently stopped her while she was out for a bike ride.
Her lawyer, Dmitry Zakhvatov, confirmed the arrest to the Ria Novosti news agency, saying he did not know where the journalist was taken.
On Friday, Marina Ovsyannikova posted images on Telegram of herself holding a sign near the Kremlin referring to the deaths of children in Ukraine and calling Putin a “murderer.” Such reports could theoretically expose her to criminal charges for publishing “false information” and “slandering” the Russian military, facing heavy prison terms.
Marina Ovsyannikova became world famous in mid-March when she appeared on Russian television’s evening news with a sign that had anti-war slogans. She was arrested and after a short detention, she was released after being fined.
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