A 44-year-old Russian television producer faces a prison sentence for publicly demonstrating his opposition to the invasion of Ukraine on a Russian channel.
It was an extremely rare gesture in Russia. Marina Ovsyannikova waved a “No to war” sign in the middle of Russian television to show her opposition to the war in Ukraine. Then she was detained and taken to the police station, according to the public organization that protects the rights of protesters OVD-Info. But who is this woman, an employee of the network, whose gesture seems unexpected?
TV producer of the Russian state channel
A Russian citizen, 44-year-old Marina Ovsyannikova, who lives in Moscow, worked as a producer on the popular state channel Channel One, according to The Atlantic. In a pre-recorded video released after her gesture, the 40-year-old woman said she regretted being involved in spreading “Kremlin propaganda” while working in a media outlet linked to the Russian state for several years.
“Now I am ashamed of it,” she said.
On her Facebook page, she reports that she received her education at the Kuban State University in Russia, a state faculty located in the city of Krasnodar, before entering the Russian Academy of Public Administration and National Economy (RANEPA), an economics and humanitarian university under the Russian government, from which she graduated in 2005.
Her father is Ukrainian
In the video she posted to explain her act, Marina Ovsyannikova explains that she is of Ukrainian origin.
“My father is Ukrainian, my mother is Russian. They have never been enemies. The necklace I wear is a symbol of the need for Russia to immediately stop this fratricidal war. Our fraternal people can still reconcile,” she assured, wearing a necklace in the colors of Ukraine around her neck .
Her Facebook page is now covered in messages of support from internet users all over the world thanking her and calling her a “heroine”. The last photo she posted on March 13, a selfie to which she added a picture of a swallow, the symbol of peace, received more than 87,000 likes on Tuesday morning.
former swimmer
In addition to his television activities, the producer describes himself on his Facebook page as a “swimming star”. A former swimmer, she has been involved in the sport since the age of 6 and then began competing as a teenager and continued into her university years.
Remaining athletic, she continued to swim in open waters. According to her social networks, she has already sailed on the Volga, and in Russia, and in the Bosphorus, not far from Turkey. According to her Facebook posts, she also loves to run.
“happy mother”
In a biography on her Instagram page, Marina Ovsyannikova describes herself as a “happy mother.” In his social media posts, two small children, a boy and a girl, regularly appear next to him.
She regularly smiles on her Facebook page while on holiday in Italy, Switzerland or Austria with her two toddlers. A golden retriever often appears next to them.
Marina Ovsyannikova faces 15 years in prison for her actions under a new Russian law that criminalizes what Moscow calls “false information” against the Russian military.