A leading Russian anti-war protester has had her home raided by Russian law enforcement, in the latest case of harassment against her

Leading Russian anti-war protester Marina Ovsyannikova was detained on Wednesday, with Moscow launching a criminal investigation into her after she denounced Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on live television earlier this year.

Ovsyannikova famously stormed the set of Channel One – Russia’s most-watched news show – with a poster saying: ‘They’re lying to you here’ and ‘Stop the War!’

The arrest comes after officers raided her home in the early hours of this morning. Russian officials accuse Ukrainian-born Ovsyannikova of discrediting the army – an offence that could land her in prison for 15 years.

‘A criminal case has been launched,’ lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov said today, adding they were now waiting for investigators to decide on a pre-trial measure for the 44-year-old mother of three.

In a recent interview with AFP news agency, Ovsyannikova had expressed hope that authorities would not place her in pre-trial detention because she has two children. 

Writing on messaging app Telegram earlier in the day, Ovsyannikova said that 10 members of law enforcement raided her home at 6:00 am.

‘They scared my young daughter,’ she added.

A leading Russian anti-war protester has had her home raided by Russian law enforcement, in the latest case of harassment against her

Marina Ovsyannikova famously stormed the set of Russia's most-watched news show with a poster saying: 'They're lying to you here' and 'Stop the War!'

Marina Ovsyannikova – pictured being detained by police on July 17 – famously stormed the set of Russia’s most-watched news show with a poster saying: ‘They’re lying to you here’

The TV journalist (pictured right) has been repeatedly targeted by Vladimir Putin's officers since her protest in March, and could face up to 15 years in prison for her dissent under new draconian laws aimed at stifling any criticism of the war in Ukraine

The TV journalist (pictured right) has been repeatedly targeted by Vladimir Putin’s officers since her protest in March, and could face up to 15 years in prison for her dissent under new draconian laws aimed at stifling any criticism of the war in Ukraine

In March, Ovsyannikova, then an editor at Channel One, barged onto the set of its flagship Vremya (Time) evening news, holding a poster reading ‘No War’ in English.

In mid-July, Ovsyannikova also staged a one-woman protest near the Kremlin, holding a poster that read ‘Putin is a murderer.’

Criticism of President Vladimir Putin’s decision to send troops to Ukraine has been virtually outlawed in Russia, and her protest made headlines around the world.

The criminal probe against Ovsyannikova was launched after two Moscow courts ordered the journalist to pay fines for discrediting the Russian army.

Ovsyannikova said she had been accused of spreading ‘fake’ information about the Russian army.

She was fined 50,000 roubles (£690) and this week another court fined her a further 40,000 roubles (£550). She was detained on July 17, but later released.

Today, her home was raided under the law on ‘dissemination of knowingly false information about the actions of the Russian armed forces,’ Zakhvatov said.

Despite a request for Zakhvatov to be present for the raid, it was carried out in the early hours of Wednesday morning without him being there.

Pictured: Marina Ovsyannykova holds up a banner in Moscow protesting the war in Ukraine

Pictured: Marina Ovsyannykova holds up a banner in Moscow protesting the war in Ukraine

The TV journalist has been repeatedly targeted by Vladimir Putin’s officers since her protest in March, and could face up to 15 years in prison for her dissent under new draconian laws aimed at stifling any criticism of the war in Ukraine.

Through this law Putin has strong-armed independent media outlets into peddling Russian propaganda – referring to a ‘special military operation’ instead of a ‘war’ or ‘invasion’ while denying mass Russian casualties and war atrocities.

Ovsyannikova has bravely continued to protest the war despite the regular fines, and in early July, she announced that she was returning to Russia to settle a dispute over the custody of her two children – despite the risk of arrest.

‘I go to the courts like I go to work,’ she said this week.

Writing on Telegram on Wednesday, she said that more than 350 children had already died in Ukraine. ‘How many children have to die before you stop?’ she added.

Her latest fine was due to a Facebook post when she mocked Putin’s ‘greatness’.

‘I could not express my gratitude to Putin on behalf of 30 million Russians who live in the 21st century without sewers and warm toilets,’ she said.

‘Any accusations against me are absurd and unacceptable.’

In April, she was hired by German media outlet Welt as a ‘freelance correspondent’ to report for the Welt newspaper as well as for Welt’s TV news channel, including from Ukraine and Russia. 

Welt is the respected flagship publication from the Axel Springer publishing group, with a daily circulation in Germany of around 180,000.

Welt Group editor-in-chief Ulf Porschardt said at the time that he was excited to be working with Ovsyannikova, adding that her on-air protest ‘defended the most important journalistic ethics – despite the threat of state repression.’

‘At a crucial moment, Marina Ovsyannikova had the courage to confront Russian viewers with an unembellished view of reality,’ he went on to say.

After she made international headlines when she stormed the life broadcast, Ovsyannikova disappeared for a number of days with many fearing the worst for her. 

In the end she was only handed a £227 fine by a Russian court – a mere fraction of the retaliation expected – sparking a number of theories about the true nature of her protest.

Ovsyannikova's status as a senior television editor at the Channel One station meant she was able to get access to the broadcasting centre to make her protest

Ovsyannikova’s status as a senior television editor at the Channel One station meant she was able to get access to the broadcasting centre to make her protest

Some of those theories range from Ovsyannikova being a plant by the Kremlin to her being a ‘British spy’ by the head of news at Channel One.

Ovsyannikova has remained in Russia after her arrest and fine, seeming to have dodged the worst of state retaliation, but she told Reuters in June that she was worried for her safety and hoped her protest would open Russians’ eyes to propaganda.

She has continued to describe what Russia insists is a ‘special operation’ in Ukraine as a war and invasion.

In her first report for her new employers earlier this year, she spoke about petty persecution she has faced since the protest.

Her membership of a swimming pool was revoked, a pet shop refused to supply her with dog food, and she found her car with all four tyres deflated and a flat battery.

During an interview with American media, the journalist also said had turned down French President Emmanuel Macron’s offer of asylum because ‘she is a patriot’ and wants to live in Russia.

‘I want to say to everyone, the Russian people are really against the war,’ Ovsyannikova told George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s This Week. ‘It’s Putin’s war, not Russian people’s war.’

Last week Ovsyannikova - a mother of two - was fined 50,000 roubles (£690) and this week another court fined her a further 40,000 roubles (£550)

 Last week Ovsyannikova – a mother of two – was fined 50,000 roubles (£690) and this week another court fined her a further 40,000 roubles (£550)

‘[It] was a spontaneous decision for me to go out live on air, but dissatisfaction with the current situation has been accumulating for many years because the propaganda on our state channels was becoming more and more distorted,’ she added.

‘I came to work and, after a week of coverage of this situation, the atmosphere on the first channel was so unpleasant that I realized I could not go back there.’

Ovsyannikova said she thought of assisting an anti-war protest at Moscow’s square – likely referring to the city’s Red Square – but quickly realized being jailed was going to be ‘rather useless.’

‘I decided maybe I could do something else, something more meaningful where I could attract more attention and show to the rest of the world that Russians are against the war,’ she said on Sunday.

‘I could show the Russian people this is just propaganda, expose this propaganda for what it is and maybe stimulate some people to speak up against the war and I was hoping that my performance in a way would help people change their mind,’ she added.

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