Russian journalist who held TV protest over Ukraine war given new fine
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The Russian journalist who famously protested against the invasion of Ukraine live on television has been handed another fine.
Marina Ovsyannikova said on Facebook that she had been convicted by a Moscow court of “discrediting” the Russian military.
The 44-year-old was ordered to pay a fine of 40,000 rubles (€650), according to her lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov.
Ovsyannikova generated headlines by bursting onto Russia’s Channel One in March with an anti-war poster. She was later charged with organising an “unauthorised public event” and fined 30,000 roubles (€256).
Last month, the former state TV journalist was also fined 50,000 rubles (€800) for comments in support of jailed Russian opposition figure Ilya Yashin.
The latest fine is allegedly related to a recent post on her Facebook page, Zakhvatov said.
“I go to the courts like I go to work,” Ovsyannikova wrote on Monday, adding that the judge did not appreciate her “irony”.
“I deeply regret that I never got around to acknowledging all the greatness of the “Russian world” in the [Facebook] post.”
“I could not express my gratitude to Putin on behalf of 30 million Russians who live in the 21st century without sewers and warm toilets.”
“Any accusations against me absurd and unacceptable,” she concluded.
Russian citizens face fines or prison sentences of up to 15 years if they are found to have spread “fake news” about the country’s army or entities abroad.
Since her famous TV protest, Ovsyannikova has been seen protesting alone near the Kremlin, holding placards that label Russian President Vladimir Putin a “killer”.
Ovsyannikova had left Russia to work for the German newspaper Die Welt, but announced in July that she had returned to the country to resolve a custody battle for her two children.