Marina Ovsyannikova accused of ‘discrediting actions of the army of Russia’ LONDON: Russian police on Sunday detained and later released Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who staged a TV protest in March to denounce the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Her detention came days after the 44-year-old journalist demonstrated alone near the Kremlin holding a placard criticizing the war and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Not long after police officers arrested Ovsyannikova, the journalist shared a photo of herself and her two dogs on her Facebook page, captioned: “Went for a walk with the dogs, just stepped outside the gate, people in uniform approached me. Now I’m sitting in Krasnoselsky ministry of internal affairs,” referring to a police station in Moscow. Three hours later, Ovsyannikova announced her release in another Facebook post. “I’m home. Everything is okay,” she said. “But now I know it’s always best to bring a suitcase and passport if you go out.” Although no official statement was issued by police, Ovsyannikova said in a Telegram post that she was charged with “discrediting the actions of the army of Russia” during last week’s trial of opposition activist and former municipal deputy Ilya Yashin. Ovsyannikova had been present along with other journalists and activists to show support for Yashin. Her actions expose her to criminal prosecution for “publishing false information” and “denigrating the army,” which can carry heavy prison sentences. In March, Ovsyannikova became famous worldwide for interrupting the set of Russia’s Channel One news program while holding a poster that said in Russian: “Stop the war. Don’t believe propaganda. They are lying to you.” She was briefly detained and then released with a fine. While a number of international observers praised her protest, it was met with some skepticism within Russian opposition circles. In the months following her protest, Ovsyannikova spent some time abroad, including a brief period working for the German newspaper Die Welt. In early July, Ovsyannikova announced that she was returning to Russia to settle a dispute over the custody of her children.