London Paris prosecutors have opened an investigation into the alleged poisoning of Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who has been living in exile in France since February this year.
Days after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she protested live on state television where she worked as an editor, was persecuted and eventually fled the country with the help of the organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
This Thursday (13), according to RSF, the journalist said she felt uncomfortable on the street. Police were notified and sent a team to investigate his house.
A source mentioned the existence of a white, powdery substance left at the door, but the journalist later denied this information.
Reporters Without Borders Secretary General Christophe Deloire wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday evening that Ovsyannikova was improving but was still receiving medical treatment.
He clarified that the journalist had not officially declared that she was poisoned, as some press outlets reported, but that the authorities had not ruled out this possibility.
Russia’s poisoning of enemies is widespread
Poisoning enemies is a recurring practice of Vladimir Putin’s regime in Russia, and not even press professionals are immune to it.
In August, Germany also announced an investigation into the possible poisoning of two Russian journalists.
Elena Kostyuchenko and Irina Babloyan began experiencing health problems in October 2022 without any apparent explanation, the first in Germany and the second in Georgia.
The investigation had been closed, but after the investigative website “The Insider” presented new evidence, the Berlin police reopened the case.
Also read | German police are investigating suspected poisoning of Russian journalists in exile
Who is the journalist who protested against Russia?
The Odessaborn daughter of a Ukrainian father and a Russian mother, Marina Ovsyannikova, 45, rose to prominence after protesting with a placard condemning the war during a live news broadcast on state broadcaster Channel One on March 14, 2022 condemned and propaganda denounced the lies in the governmentcontrolled media.
Marina Ovsyannikova (Reproduction/YouTube)
She was fined, left Russia and worked as a journalist in Germany for a few months, but was not well received by her local colleagues.
In July he voluntarily returned to his country and staged a new protest in front of the Kremlin.
She was then placed under house arrest until she fled to France with her daughter as part of an operation organized by Reporters Without Borders.
At the beginning of October, the journalist who was possibly poisoned in Paris was sentenced in absentia by a Russian court to eight and a half years in prison for spreading “false information” about the army.
Also read | German police are investigating suspected poisoning of Russian journalists in exile