Marina Ovsyannikova, the Russian journalist who ran onto the set of an evening news program on Russian state television holding a poster denouncing the war, has joined German daily Die Welt as a freelance correspondent.
Axel Springer SE, the German conglomerate that owns Die Welt, said Monday that Ms. Ovsyannikova would be reporting for the media brand, including from Ukraine and Russia, writing for the newspaper as well as contributing to television coverage.
Ms. Ovsyannikova confirmed later Monday she would be working for Die Welt from Moscow but said she wouldn’t accept payment from the outlet for her work to avoid being branded a “foreign agent” by Russian authorities.
“Unfortunately, I participated in the creation of Kremlin propaganda for so many years that now I want to make every effort to break it. And stop the war,” she said in an interview. ” When people are dying, money is absolutely not important; moral aspects become more important.”
Last month Ms. Ovsyannikova ran onto the set of an evening news program on Russian state television’s flagship Channel One holding a poster reading: “No war. Stop the war. Don’t believe propaganda. They lie to you here. Russians against war.” She yelled: “Stop the war, no to war” before the camera cut away.
She was subsequently turned over to the police. Ms. Ovsyannikova was released from detention and fined approximately $280 by a Moscow court for a video she released explaining her actions.