Marina Ovsyannikova, news editor at Russia Channel One, protests during a live broadcast, March 14, 2022

UPDATE, MARCH 16:

Marina Ovsyannikova has told Reuters that she fears for her welfare, after protesting on air about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but will not leave the country.

I believe in what I did but I now understand the scale of the problems that I’ll have to deal with, and, of course, I’m extremely concerned for my safety.

I absolutely don’t feel like a hero….You know, I really want to feel that this sacrifice was not in vain, and that people will open their eyes.

She added a message for Russians:

Don’t be such zombies; don’t listen to this propaganda; learn how to analyse information; learn how to find other sources of information — not just Russian state television.

UPDATE 1645 GMT:

Marina Ovsyannikova has been fined 30,000 roubles ($280) by a Russian court for defying legislation against protests.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: In an iconic moment of protest over Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, an editor at Russia’s primary State channel demonstrated on air during the main news program on Monday.

Marina Ovsyannikova stood up behind the anchor on Channel One, shouting “Stop the war. No to war” as she held up the sign “Don’t believe the propaganda. They’re lying to you here. Russians against the war.”

Ovsyannikova was arrested immediately. Her whereabouts are unknown.

A law enforcement official told State outlet TASS, that Ovsyannikova may be charged under legislation banning public displays to “discredit the use of Russia’s armed forces”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov snapped, “As far as this woman is concerned, this is hooliganism.”

Threatened with 15-year prison sentences for any coverage of “war” or “sanctions”, almost all Russian outlets mentioned the protest but censored its content. The independent Novaya Gazeta blanked out the sign while others erased Ovsyannikova.

Eleven days ago, the staff of TV Rain — banned by Russian authorities — protested at the end of their last broadcast.

“The Shame of This Fratricidal War”

Before the on-air protest, Ovsyannikova recorded a video message through the OVD-Info human rights group. She wore a necklace of blue and yellow, Ukraine’s national colors, as she said:

Regrettably, for a number of years, I worked on Channel One and worked on Kremlin propaganda. I am very ashamed of this right now. Ashamed that I was allowed to tell lies from the television screen. Ashamed that I allowed the zombification of the Russian people.

We were silent in 2014 when this was just beginning. We did not go out to protest when the Kremlin poisoned [opposition leader Alexei] Navalny.

We are just silently watching this anti-human regime. And now the whole world has turned away from us and the next 10 generations won’t be a ble to clean themselves from the shame of this fratricidal war.

She explained, “What is happening in Ukraine is a crime and Russia is the aggressor. The responsibility of this aggression lies on the shoulders of only one person: Vladimir Putin.”

Then she called on fellow Russians to join the demonstrations: “Only we have the power to stop all this madness. Go to the protests. Don’t be afraid of anything. They can’t imprison us all.”

“Thankful for Russians Trying to Deliver the Truth”

About 15,000 Russians have been detained over their protests. More than two dozen media outlets have been forced to halt operations, and platforms such as Instagram are officially banned.

Ovsyannikova’s moment breaking the near-monopoly of State TV drew immediate praise. More than 40,000 people left comments her Facebook page, despite the ban on the platform, with messages such as “You are a hero. Thank you so much.”

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy responded during his Monday night address to the nation:

I’m thankful to those Russians who don’t stop trying to deliver the truth, who are fighting against disinformation and tell real facts to their friends and families, and personally to that woman who went in the studio of Channel One with an anti-war poster.

Latvia’s Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs tweeted: