December 01, 2019

Televised Bravery


Televised Bravery

The primetime news on Channel One, hosted by the stone-faced Katerina Andreyeva, is the jewel in the crown of Russia's propaganda machine. But on Monday, the program was interrupted by a woman who yelled "Stop the war! No war!" and managed to show a giant sign saying, "Don't believe the propaganda! They are lying to you!" for several seconds before the camera turned off.

 

The bold action shocked and awed Russians, going instantly viral: very rarely does state television show any chinks in its armor (though some foreigners working for RT have quit live on air). Channel One news is Russia's most-watched channel and has what is considered the best coverage in the country, seen by millions of people.

The woman was quickly identified as Marina Ovsyannikova, who worked for the channel as an editor.

Prior to bursting into the studio, Ovsyannikova recorded a statement on video.

Here is the full text in English:

 

"What is happening right now in Ukraine is a crime, Russia is an aggressor country and the responsibility for this aggression is on just one person, and this person is Vladimir Putin. My father is Ukrainian, my mother is Russian, and they have never been enemies. This necklace I am wearing is a symbol -- Russia must immediately stop this fratricidal war and our brotherly nations can still find peace. Unfortunately, over the last years, I have been working on Channel One, I was involved in Kremlin propaganda, and I am now very ashamed. I am ashamed that I allowed lies to be told from TV screens, I am ashamed that I let them zombify Russian people. We were silent in 2014, when all of this was just starting, we did not protest when the Kremlin poisoned Navalny. We were just silently watching this inhuman regime, and now the entire world has turned away from us. Ten generations following our children will not be able to wash away the shame of this fratricidal war. We are Russian people, we are thinking and intelligent people, and only we can stop this madness. Go out to the streets, don't be afraid, they cannot put us all in jail."

In the atmosphere of fear and tightening repressions, where people are arrested even for holding a blank piece of paper, Ovsyannikova's action was praised by many as incredibly brave. Rights groups quickly dispatched lawyers to help her deal with the legal consequences of her protest. Her bold gesture will undoubtedly be remembered by many.

The Guardian newspaper's front page for Tuesday, March 15

On Tuesday, Ovsyannikova was fined for her protest, after what she described as a 14-hour-long interrogation. By Russian law, a person cannot be arrested on an administrative charge if they take care of minors (Ovsyannikova has two children). However, reports said the Russian Investigative Committee is also looking into charging her with a criminal offense, which could carry up to 10 years in prison.

See Also

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
How Russia Got That Way

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955