Russian TV news producer faces 15 years in prison for 'No War' on-air protest

Marina Ovsyannikova, the Russian TV news editor who photobombed a live broadcast Monday evening with a "No War" sign, is facing up to 15 years in prison for violating Vladimir Putin's "fake news" law. Ovsyannikova walked into the camera shot behind the anchor and held up a sign admonishing viewers not to believe Russian state propaganda about the country's invasion of Ukraine.

According to the Daily Beast, she was whisked away from the Channel One studio by police immediately after the incident, has not been seen since and her lawyer says her whereabouts are unknown.

The online news outlet Baza reported Tuesday that Russian police initially had planned to fine the 44-year-old under an administrative protocol, but an “extraordinary meeting” of top law-enforcement officials decided she should be charged under the new Article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code — passed by the Duma after the Ukraine invasion — that covers “public dissemination of knowingly false information about the use of the RF Armed Forces,” such as using the words “war” or “invasion” for Putin’s “special operation” in Ukraine. Under that law, Ovsyannikova faces between 10 and 15 years in prison.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when asked about the case during a news briefing on Tuesday, described the protest as an act of “hooliganism.”

You can watch video of her protest below: