Russian state journalist who interrupted live broadcast flees

Putin knows initial goal is ‘very unlikely’ says expert

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Former Russian state TV journalist Marina Ovsyannikova has fled the country after escaping house arrest, her lawyer has said. Dmitry Zakhvatov said Ms Ovsyannikova is currently “under the protection of a European state”.

He declined to provide more details, saying “it may turn out to be a problem” for her.

Ms Ovsyannikova drew the world’s attention in March when she burst into the studio during a live TV broadcast with a placard which read “Stop the war” and “They’re lying to you”. The Kremlin denounced her protest as “hooliganism”.

The 44-year-old was given two months’ house arrest in August over a protest in July when she stood on the embankment of a river opposite the Kremlin and held up a poster calling President Vladimir Putin a murderer and his soldiers fascists.

Facing up to 10 years in prison on charges of spreading fake news about the Russian army, Ms Ovsyannikova said in an online post on October 5 that she had fled house arrest because she had no case to answer. Her whereabouts since then have been unknown.

Mr Zakhvatov said Ms Ovsyannikova’s daughter left the country with her, while her son remained in Russia.

He refused to say where she was, but added: “Soon everything will be made public. We need a couple of weeks.”

Russia passed new laws against discrediting or distributing “deliberately false information” about its armed forces on March 4, eight days after invading Ukraine.

Ms Ovsyannikova, who was born in Ukraine, revealed earlier this month she had fled house arrest because she had no case to answer.

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She said: “I consider myself completely innocent, and since our state refuses to comply with its own laws, I refuse to comply with the measure of restraint imposed on me as of September 30 2022 and release myself from it.”

In a video posted on Telegram, she sat on a pink sofa and addressed Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service, slamming Putin over the war.

She said “Put a tag like this on Putin,” gesturing to what appeared to be an electronic ankle bracelet.

Her house arrest was due to last until October 9, but state-run news outlet Russia Today reported she had fled along with her daughter, 11, and at that time her whereabouts were unknown.

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After the TV protest, Ms Ovsyannikova told Reuters in March said felt “very ashamed” of her work for Channel One which had “allowed the Russian people to be zombified”.

She also said she hoped she would not face criminal charges and the Russian people would scrutinise the Kremlin’s war propaganda more carefully.

Meanwhile, Moscow has launched a criminal investigation after a Russian fighter plane crashed into a block of flats in the city of Yeysk in south Russia.

Unconfirmed footage on social media showed a large fireball erupting from what appeared to be a multi-storey building.

Agencies said the pilots had ejected and officials were trying to establish information about casualties on the ground.

RIA news agency said the plane was a Sukhoi Su-34, a supersonic medium-range fighter-bomber, and crashed during a training flight from a military airfield.

TASS said the crash was caused by an engine fire.

Interfax quoted the local emergencies ministry as saying five floors of the apartment building were on fire, the upper floors had collapsed and about 45 apartments were damaged.

Yeysk is located on the coast of the Sea of Azov which separates southern Ukraine and southern Russia.

Russia’s investigative committee said a criminal investigation was launched on Monday into the crash of a Su-34 fighter jet.

It added: “Military investigators are establishing the circumstances and causes of the incident.”

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