Former Russian state TV journalist gets 8 1/2-year sentence in absentia for Ukraine war criticism

By The Associated Press

A court in Moscow has handed a former state TV journalist a 8 1/2-year prison term in absentia for protesting Russia’s war in Ukraine, the latest in a months-long crackdown against dissent that has intensified since Moscow’s invasion 20 months ago. Marina Ovsyannikova was charged with spreading false information about the Russian army, a criminal offense under a law adopted shortly after the Kremlin sent troops to Ukraine. She held a picket in the Russian capital in July 2022, and held a poster that called President Vladimir Putin “a killer.” Ovsyannikova worked at for Russia’s state-run Channel One until last year. She was detained and placed under house arrest but managed to escape to France with her daughter.