Russian Journalist Sentenced to Prison for On-Air Protest Against Ukraine War

Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova has been sentenced to an 8 1/2-year prison term in absentia for protesting Russia's war in Ukraine. Ovsyannikova, a former state TV journalist, held a picket in Moscow in July 2022, displaying a poster criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian army's actions in Ukraine. She was detained and placed under house arrest but managed to escape to France. Russian authorities put her on a wanted list and prosecuted and tried her in absentia. This is part of a broader crackdown on dissent in Russia, with thousands of Russians facing fines and criminal charges for speaking out against the war.