Protester who crashed Russian TV news broadcast facing 15 years in prison

Whisked away by police from the Channel One studio, she has not been seen since and her lawyer says her whereabouts are unknown. The well-connected online news outlet Baza reported Tuesday police had initially wanted to fine her under an administrative protocol, but an “extraordinary meeting” of top law-enforcement officials decided she should be charged under the new Article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code—passed by the Duma after the Ukraine invasion—that covers “public dissemination of knowingly false information about the use of the RF Armed Forces,” such as using the words “war” or “invasion” for Vladimir Putin’s “special operation” in Ukraine. Under that law, Ovsyannikova faces between 10 and 15 years in prison. Asked about the case during a news briefing Tuesday, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the protest as an act of “hooliganism,” adding: “The live broadcast of any TV channel is a special dimension, where there is a special responsibility, especially for those who work there.”

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