Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova's decision to publicly protest against her country's invasion of Ukraine didn't come easy, she recalled in an ABC News interview released Sunday.
"As soon as the war began, I could not eat. I could not sleep," Ovsyannikova said in Russian, according to ABC's translation.
Ovsyannikova, an employee of the state-run Channel One, said she contemplated going to a street protest against the war, but the prospect of spending years in jail convinced her to make a more public statement.The news editor ultimately decided to interrupt her own channel's live evening news broadcast, walking across the set with a sign reading “no war” and “Russians against the war.”
In Russia, where President Vladimir Putin has an iron grip on power, and his critics often wind up killed or in jail, this was a risky protest. The Russian government recently passed a law threatening up to 15 years of jail time for publishing news that runs counter to the Kremlin's war messaging, which denies that a "war" is even taking place.
Ovsyannikova said she hoped her protest showed to the world that "not all Russian people" support the war. "Maybe half of the people in Russia are against the war," she said, adding that many of them are suffering amid the West's severe economic sanctions.This content is not available due to your privacy preferences.
"I am very worried about the safety of my children, first and foremost. And I am very grateful to Mr. Macron for his offer, but I have publicly refused to take political asylum in France, because I am a patriot. I want to live in Russia. My children want to live in Russia," she said Sunday on ABC.
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