An attack may have been carried out on a Russian TV journalist. The woman had often attracted attention for her criticism of the Kremlin. The public prosecutor’s office is now investigating.
The Paris public prosecutor’s office is investigating a possible poison attack on Russian TV journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who became known for criticizing the war in Ukraine. The journalist called the emergency number on Thursday afternoon because she suddenly felt bad after leaving her house and feared she was being poisoned, the public prosecutor’s office said on Friday. She asked to be taken to a hospital. Initial investigations and checks by the criminal police are underway.
“We were afraid for Marina Ovsyannikova,” said Reporters Without Borders Secretary General Christophe Deloire. The hypothesis of poisoning was discussed and not ruled out. However, he contradicted the public prosecutor’s account, according to which the journalist herself had said that she feared poisoning. He pointed out that “we were with her all day.” The organization had smuggled the television journalist out of Russia shortly before a trial against her began around a year ago.
Convicted in absentia
A week and a half ago, Ovsyannikova was sentenced to eight and a half years in a prison camp in Russia. A court in Moscow found her guilty in absentia of allegedly spreading false reports about the Russian army. The editor, who was then still employed by Russian state television, caused a stir shortly after the start of the war against Ukraine in March 2022 when she jumped into the picture in the middle of a live news broadcast and held up a protest poster.
After the action, Ovsjannikova, now 45, worked for the German newspaper “Welt”, but then returned to Russia and protested against the war again. In October 2022, her lawyer announced that she had now finally left her homeland for Europe.
Deloire on X
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
