This week, Channel One editor Marina Ovsyannikova went viral on social media when she appeared behind a news anchor holding a sign informing Russians on a state media channel about the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Ovsyannikova appeared on CNN, discussing her dramatic stance to inform the Russian public, saying it was “impossible to stay silent.” Furthermore, she wants the world to understand that most Russians are against the invasion.
“I have been feeling a cognitive dissonance, more and more, between my beliefs and what we say on air,” Ovsyannikova said. “The war was the point of no return when it was simply impossible to stay silent.”
Ovsyannikova told CNN that recollections of airstrikes during Russia’s conflict in Chechnya, where she lived as a young girl, drove her to act as she held a sign saying “NO WAR.”
“I worry about Russian soldiers … I think they really don’t understand why they have to do this, why they [are] fighting,” she added.
The editor was found guilty by a Moscow court of organizing an “unauthorized public event.” The “administrative offense” carries a fine of 30,000 rubles ($280).
Eduardo Razo is the Assistant Content Editor for BNM, which includes writing daily news stories on the news media industry. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at eddie1991razo@gmail.com.
