A Russian journalist who crashed a live news program on Russia's state television holding an anti-war poster has been offered asylum and protection from the French embassy.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
The news outlet reported that Marina Ovsyannikova, an employee of the station, appeared behind the news anchor during the live newscast with a poster that said “no war.”
The New York Times reported that the poster also included in Russian "They’re lying to you here."
Marina Ovsyannikova, an employee of Russia's state-run Channel 1, burst onto the live broadcast of the network's most-watched news show on Monday evening, yelling "Stop the war!" and holding up a sign that said "They’re lying to you here." https://t.co/4lLFtZ27Po
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 14, 2022
Ovsyannikova was arrested, but her whereabouts after her arrest was unknown. But she was later found, fined, and released, according to the BBC and NPR.
NPR reported that Ovsyannikova's lawyer Sergei Badamshin said the charge does not stem from her crashing the news program but posting a video on social media calling for Russians to protest the war in Ukraine.
ABC News reported that Ovsyannikova said she was interrogated for more than 14 hours and would provide more comments on Wednesday.
According to the AP, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised Ovsyannikova while speaking in a video address early Tuesday.
