A Russian TV channel accuses the lead character of being a British spy and “talking to the British embassy in Moscow” shortly before she staged her bold anti-war protest live on air.
- Marina Ovsyannikova was accused of espionage by a Russian TV presenter
- Channel One host Kirill Kleymenov said he had spoken to the British Embassy.
- Russian journalist protested against the war live on state television with a poster
Russian protester Marina Ovsyannikova was accused of spying for “talking to the British embassy in Moscow” shortly before interrupting a live news broadcast on the country’s main state channel.
The 43-year-old journalist gained international attention when she walked behind a news anchor with a stunning anti-war televised message that said, “Stop the war.” Don’t believe the propaganda. They lie to you.”
The lawsuit came from Kirill Kleimenov, deputy general director of Channel One and a popular host, who called her a “betrayal” and made it clear that she was a “traitor.”
He suggested that she teamed up with British diplomats in her dramatic statement against Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Former Channel One editor Marina Ovsyannikova, who held up an anti-war poster on Russian television (pictured), has been accused by a Russian news anchor of being a British spy.
Ovsyannikova (pictured) was accused of talking to the British embassy in Moscow ahead of her live protest by her former boss, Kirill Kleimenov.
Kirill Kleymenov (pictured) said that Ovsyannikova betrayed her country and called her a traitor, although he did not provide any evidence to support his claims that she was in contact with the British embassy.
‘Before [going on air with her anti-war poster]“According to our information, Marina Ovsyannikova spoke with the British Embassy,” Kleimenov said.
– Which of you spoke on the phone with a foreign embassy?
Ovsyannikova carried a poster and came to the most popular news show in Russia and told the audience: “Here you are being lied to” and “Stop the war!”
Her boss at the Kleimenov channel replied: “An emotional outburst is one thing.
But betrayal is something else.
He claimed that in her television stunt, she betrayed her country, “and at the same time all of us, the people with whom he worked side by side for almost 20 years.”
Ovsyannikova was fined just $210 by the court in connection with the protest, raising fears that she could face another punishment.
“She betrays coldly, prudently, for a firmly agreed [financial] bonus – by the way, so as not to lose your previous one.
“The woman with the poster has timed the action precisely to get her next paycheck, so betrayal is always a personal choice of a person.”
He continued: “It is necessary to call a spade a spade.
“Otherwise, if the famous action for 30 pieces of silver were called a rush of the soul, world history would be different.
“In any case, I wish everyone good health.
“Everyone without exception. Even traitors. They must continue to live with this burden.”
The mother-of-two also said she wasn’t sure she could make it through the protest until the last moment, as she had to bypass several layers of security to get in front of the cameras.
Kleymenov provided no further evidence of Britain’s involvement or his accusation of being paid for the stunt.
The accusation comes amid a collapse in relations between the UK – along with other Western countries – and Russia due to Putin’s invasion of sovereign Ukraine.
Ovsyannikova turned down an offer of political asylum in France, but could be prosecuted in Moscow.
As far as is known, the British Embassy has no records of any telephone conversations with Ovsyannikova.