A former journalist for Russian state television who resigned after leading an aerial protest against Russia’s war in Ukraine was fined 50,000 rubles (about 793 euros) this Thursday for defaming the military.
Marina Ovsyannikova was charged under a law enacted after the February 24 invasion of Ukraine that penalizes statements against the military, which carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.
Opposition figure Ilya Yashin, who is being held pending trial for spreading false information about the military, was fined for his comments in court.
Medusa, a Latvia-based news agency that covers current affairs in Russia, called the invasion of Ukraine a “heinous crime,” Ovsianikova said.
Earlier, the journalist was already fined 30,000 rubles (about 476 euros) for holding an anti-war poster during a news broadcast on a state channel on the evening of March 14.
In Russian, the poster read: “Stop the war, don’t believe the propaganda, they are lying to you here”. Above in English is written “No to war” and below “Russians against war”.