Maria Ovsyannikova, former Russian state TV employee who protested war on air, denies reports that she was poisoned

Former Russia state TV employee Marina Ovsyannikova, whose hospitalization on Thursday prompted the Paris prosecutor’s office to open a poisoning investigation, has said on Telegram that she was not poisoned.

“I haven’t spoken to journalists, and I was hoping this information would be kept secret. The only thing I can say is that, contrary to what an unknown source said, followed by many respected outlets, there was no ‘white powder’ on my door handle,” she wrote.

According to Ovsyannikova, somebody called a doctor for her after she began to feel ill. She said French police’s decision to launch an investigation was due to the fact that her symptoms came on suddenly.

“I’m feeling much better now. Most of the test results have come back. No toxic substances were found in my blood. We’re not talking about a poisoning,” she said.