The Russian journalist Marina Ovsiannikova was arrested at her home on Wednesday August 10 in Moscow. She had given an interview to franceinfo the same morning, in which she reaffirmed her opposition to the war waged by the Kremlin in Ukraine. Monday, August 8, the journalist was found guilty of having “discredited” the Russian army.
At the beginning of the invasion in Ukraine, she had appeared on state television, in full newspaper, with a poster against the offensive in Ukraine.
franceinfo: In all, you were sentenced to 120,000 rubles (2,000 euros) in fines. Did you pay them?
Marina Ovsiannikova: I had to pay the first fine but I didn’t want to pay the others. Unfortunately, by law, if you don’t pay within three months, the fine is doubled. I will try not to pay until the end because all these fines are used to finance the war.
Do you know why the authorities decided not to imprison you?
It’s not strategic for them, the Kremlin doesn’t want to attract attention. It’s better not to talk about my live action on TV. You know, as a result of my action, many conspiracy theories have appeared. Many people, especially Ukrainians, started to believe it. They thought that there was no live broadcast in Russia, that I carried out a secret FSB mission, etc. Such conspiracy theories grow very well on fertile ground. There is no way the Kremlin would like Ukrainians to stop believing in this theory [car elle confirme qu’il n’y a pas de contestation populaire en Russie NDLR]. The Russian authorities therefore prefer to remain silent about my action. I don’t think I will face any persecution in the near future for this live event. It’s such a controversial act to put me in jail. And in addition, it is quite difficult from the point of view of the law, because I have a child who has not reached the age of 14 (NDRL his daughter is 11 years old) and that I raise alone. So, I can keep protesting, they won’t want to bring criminal charges against me, because it’s very difficult.
How do the authorities still manage to put pressure on you?
I am under enormous pressure from all sides. The psychological pressure, first. It is easy to influence a mother by targeting her children. Before my live action on TV, my ex-husband and I had a good relationship. But after my protest, higher powers intervened and pressured him, and he immediately sued me. He demanded that our children live with him.
Two officers from the Center for Countering Extremism came to scare me. They put a lot of pressure on me. They wanted to prove that I was a CIA agent, that I collaborated with NATO, etc. It was a very violent assault. It is a method of psychological pressure used by the special services. After my last protest – with a poster against President Putin – they set up a surveillance that lasted a week. Then, thankfully, they stopped following me.
“They finally understood that I will not abandon my beliefs, that I will still use the word war and consider it the most terrible crime that can be committed in the 21st century.”
Marina Ovsiannikovaat franceinfo
You took refuge in Germany for three months, why did you come back to Russia?
I thought for a very long time about what I should do while I was in Germany. I didn’t think my ex-husband would stab me in the back and I certainly didn’t expect a trial that would affect my children. And then I realized that if I don’t come back, I just won’t see my children for several years. So I decided to go back to Russia. It was a good decision, despite what I’m going through now and these unprecedented psychological pressures. Nevertheless, I am next to my daughter, she is with me. But my son, who is 18, has decided to live with his father, he is already an adult. We communicate by phone.
Why do you stay in Russia despite the risk?
I stay in Russia for my children. Anyway, I can’t go with them anymore. I tried to get a passport for my daughter and got a call from the Ministry of Interior. They said: we will not make a passport for your daughter, because your ex-husband is against you taking your daughter abroad. Until we agree on this issue, unfortunately I am staying here and I cannot go anywhere. But on the other hand, Russia is waiting for very big changes. And the fact that I’m here is important. After all, every voice raised against the war from Russia is very important. When a person, being inside Russia, speaks against the war, it is much louder than when you are abroad (up to 15 years in prison for publicly using the word war editor’s note). Because you are showing your compatriots that there is no need to be afraid, that it is necessary and possible to talk about it, and that not everyone is imprisoned. You know, a lot of Russians now write thanks to me on social networks, they say that my example inspired them, they are also protesting and talking now.
How do you feel ? Is it a feeling of fear, indignation, anger?
I feel a sense of helplessness. I try to shout to the Russian people to stop the war and not to believe the propaganda. But people in Russia do not react, they are frustrated, they look lost. Everyone is trying to distance themselves from war-related information. People try to ignore what is happening. Maybe they want to save their psychological state in this way. Maybe people are so intimidated by these political trials and criminal cases concerning the “discrediting” of the army and the false information on the war that they try not to see the obvious, or simply to keep the silence because they are afraid.
I’m really sorry that people have such a point of view, because a lot depends on us now. And I truly believe that the authorities cannot imprison all of us. If people start demonstrating en masse, the Kremlin will be scared.
“I am not giving up under any circumstances, I will continue to fight. It is better to have dozens of administrative fines than to remain silent in the current situation.”
Marina Ovsiannikovaat franceinfo
French President Emmanuel Macron offered you “consular protection” in March, which could go as far as asylum. Are you ready to consider this opportunity?
In fact, I recently thought about it with a smile. I could just take advantage of Macron’s offer and be quiet in Cannes and drink champagne. But, you see, I’m not that kind of person. My friends all say that if I were offered to go to Cannes or Kharkiv as a journalist to show what is happening there, all this destruction, I would always choose Kharkiv. Because I am against injustice. And this desire to show injustice is so strong in me that I just couldn’t sit still and enjoy life. Because I’ve never been afraid of being hit with a truncheon trying to restore justice. Unfortunately, that’s my nature. So, in this situation, it was impossible to accept this offer.