Wanted former Russian state TV employee Marina Ovsyannikova declares ‘refusal’ to observe house arrest

Former Channel One employee Marina Ovsyannikova, who ran on stage with an anti-war banner during a live TV broadcast in March, announced Wednesday that she is intentionally not observing the house arrest she was put on in August. In a statement posted on Telegram, Ovsyannikova told Moscow’s Basmanny District Court that she’s decided to “absolve [herself]” from the measures.

“I consider myself completely innocent, and since our government refuses to observe its own laws, then starting from September 30, 2022, I refuse to observe the restraint measure assigned to me in the form of house arrest and absolve myself of it,” Ovsyannikova wrote.

Earlier this week, Ovsyannikova’s husband claimed that she had escaped from house arrest, which she was sentenced to as part of an ongoing case against her for spreading “disinformation” about the Russian army. Russia’s Interior Ministry proceeded to put her on the country’s wanted list.

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