A woman interrupted a Russian state TV broadcast on Monday evening to call condemn the Moscow-led invasion of Ukraine and warn viewers of propaganda, journalists for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Meduza have reported.
The protester burst out behind what's said to be a veteran news anchor during the 9 p.m. broadcast with a homemade sign that read: "Stop the war. Don't believe in propaganda. They're lying to you."
The woman, reportedly named Marina Ovsyannikova, said in a message recorded beforehand that she is of both Russian and Ukrainian descent, and she's ashamed about working for Kremlin propaganda, per a translation from Meduza's Kevin Rothrock.
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According to the Times' Anton Troianovski and Rothrock, Ovsyannikova is an employee of the network that aired the broadcast — Channel One. She has now been arrested, says the Journal's Matthew Luxmoore.
Channel One is one of the most popular state-run channels in Russia, and "pushes Putin's propaganda about the war in Ukraine," The Daily Beast reports. The network is now conducting an "internal review" of the incident, according to TASS news agency.
In the wake of a new censorship law that threatens those who challenge the government's official war narrative with up to 15 years in prison, Russian news outlets reporting on Ovsyannikova's protest have had to blur out her sign, Rothrock notes.
Less than 2 hours later, thousands have commented on Ovsyannikova's Facebook page, thanking her for taking a stand, per Troianovski.
