Ovsyannikova, former senior editor of Channel One, the Russian state-controlled television channel, staged an amazing live on air protest in March. He shouted: “No to war!” and he held up a banner condemning the invasion of Ukraine and telling people not to believe the government’s lies.
Since then, she has been fined twice for the crime of discrediting Russia’s armed forces and was placed under two-month house arrest in August on charges of spreading false news about the armed forces, which carries a sentence of up to 10 years. .
The latter relates to a protest in July when he stood on the river embankment in front of the Kremlin in central Moscow and held up a banner calling the Russian president and his soldiers fascists.
“How many more children must die before you stop?” the sign said.
Her ex-husband first reported her absence to authorities on Saturday, Russian media reported. Igor Ovsyannikov, in an interview with the pro-Kremlin RT network, said that he did not know where his ex-wife was, but that his daughter did not have a passport.
Since April, Ovsyannikova and her husband have been in a custody battle over their two children. Her 17-year-old son has already stated that he wants to live with his father, Russian media reported.
“After my daughter disappeared, I applied to the authorities, but I still haven’t received any official response from them about the progress of the investigation,” Ovsyannikov said. “When I called my daughter, she was confused and answered my questions in a strange way.”
Several other prominent figures, including activists Lucy Shtein and Maria Alyokhina of the Pussy Riot gang, previously fled Russia despite restrictions on their movement.
Ovsyannikova’s escape is the latest embarrassment for Russia, which has faced impressive battlefield losses in Ukraine and growing criticism of the war at home, including among some key Kremlin supporters. At the same time, the Kremlin has cracked down on displays of dissent as it works to recruit thousands of new soldiers for the fight in Ukraine.
Ovsyannikova did not respond to calls and text messages from The Washington Post on Sunday and Monday.
Born in Ukraine, Ovsyannikova had been a senior editor at Channel One. But when she went to the office the day after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, she said, she realized she could no longer work there.
“Unfortunately, I have been working on Channel One for the last few years, working on Kremlin propaganda,” Ovsyannikova said in a video message she broadcast after the March protest. “And now I am very embarrassed. I am ashamed that I allowed lies to be told on television screens. I am ashamed that I let the Russian people be zombified.”
“It is only in our power to stop this madness,” he said, alluding to the high price of dissent in Russia. “Get out on the streets. Do not be afraid. They can’t jail all of us.”