An employee of the Russian state television Channel One has interrupted the main news program with an extraordinary protest against the occupation of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin.
Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor at Channel One, appeared during the live broadcast of Monday night's evening news, shouting: "Stop the war. No war." She also carried a sign saying, "Do not trust propaganda. They are lying to you." It also read: "Russians against war".
The news presenter continued reading aloud so that Marina could not be heard, but her protest could be seen and heard for a few seconds before the channel passed into a recorded segment.
"Unfortunately, for several years I worked on Channel One and worked on Kremlin propaganda, I am very ashamed of that now. Shame that they allowed me to tell lies from the television screen. I am ashamed that I allowed the zombification of the Russian people. We were silent in 2014 when this had just begun. "We did not go out to protest when the Kremlin poisoned [opposition leader Alexei] Navalny," she said. "We are just silently looking at this inhuman regime. And now the whole world is gone from us and the next 10 generations will not be able to be cleansed of the shame of this fratricidal war."
She called on Russians to join anti-war protests in order to end the conflict. "Only we have the power to stop all this madness. Go to the protests. Do not be afraid of anything. "They can not imprison us all."
The protest was praised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In a video speech Monday night, he said: "I am grateful to those Russians who do not stop trying to tell the truth, who are fighting against misinformation and telling real facts to their friends and family and personally to that woman who went to the Channel One studio with an anti-war poster. "
Ovsyannikova u arrestua menjëherë pas protestës së saj. Ajo mund të përballet me burgim sipas një legjislacioni të ri rus që kriminalizon përhapjen e të ashtuquajturave "lajme të rreme" për ushtrinë ruse. Ata që shpallen fajtorë sipas ligjit mund të përballen me 15 vjet burg. Marina gjithashtu mund të përballet me pasoja ligjore për inkurajimin e "trazirave civile” duke u thënë rusëve të protestojnë.
Deklarata e saj shënon herën e parë që një punonjës i medias shtetërore ruse ka denoncuar publikisht luftën. Aq e rreptë është censura nëpër media saqë programet e tjera të lajmeve e fshinë mesazhin në tabelën e Ovsyannikova në raportimet për incidentin.
Since the start of the war, Russia has launched an unprecedented crackdown on protesters, independent news media and social networks. Nearly 15,000 people, including children and the elderly, have been arrested in anti-war protests.
Thousands of people praised the editor's action. "You are a heroine," reads the Instagram page.
Edgars Rinkevics, Latvia's foreign minister, said on Twitter: "While there are brave people like Marina Ovsyanikova protesting against the war and Russian propaganda tonight or street protesters, Russia still has a chance for a better future."
