Marina Ovsiannikova was fined three times by the Russian judiciary. The latest fine dates from Monday August 8: the journalist was found guilty of “discrediting” the Russian army. At the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, she had appeared on state television in a full newspaper with a poster against the offensive in Ukraine.
franceinfo: You were fined a total of 120,000 rubles (2,000 euros). 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 penalty is doubled. I will try not to pay until the end because all these fines are used to fund 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 surfaced. Many people, especially Ukrainians, began to believe in it. They thought that there was no live broadcast in Russia, that I was running a secret FSB mission, etc. Such conspiracy theories thrive very well in fertile soil. The Kremlin definitely doesn’t want 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 actions. I don’t think I will face any persecution for this live event in the near future. It’s such a controversial act to put me in jail. And it’s also quite difficult legally because I have a child who is under 14 (editor’s note his daughter is 11) and I’m raising it alone. Well, I can keep protesting, they won’t want to press charges against me because it’s very difficult.
How do the authorities still manage to put pressure on you?
I’m under enormous pressure from all sides. The psychological pressure first. It’s easy to influence a mother by targeting her children. Before my live action television, my ex-husband and I were on good terms. But after my protest, higher powers intervened and put pressure on him and he immediately sued me. He demanded that our children live with him.
Two officers from the Counter-Extremism Center came to scare me. You put a lot of pressure on me. They wanted to prove that I was a CIA agent, that I was collaborating with NATO, etc. It was a very brutal attack. It’s a method of psychological pressure used by the special services. After my last protest – with a placard against President Putin – they set up surveillance that lasted a week. Then luckily they stopped following me.
“They finally understood that I will not give up my belief, that I will still use the word war and regard it as the most horrible crime that can be committed in the 21st century.”
Marina Ovsiannikova
at franceinfo
You fled to Germany for three months, why did you return to Russia?
I thought long and hard about what to do in Germany. I didn’t think my ex-husband would stab me in the back, and I certainly didn’t expect a lawsuit to involve my children. And then I realized that if I don’t come back, I won’t see my children for several years. So I decided to return to Russia. It was a good decision, despite everything I’m going through now and despite this unprecedented psychological pressure. Still, I’m next to my daughter, she’s with me. But my son who is 18 years old decided to live with his father, he is already an adult. We communicate by phone.
Despite the risk, why are you staying in Russia?
I stay in Russia because of my children. Anyway, I can’t go with them anymore. I was trying to get a passport for my daughter and got a call from the Home Office. They said: We won’t make a passport for your daughter because your ex-husband is against you taking your daughter abroad. Unfortunately, until we come to an agreement on this issue, I am staying here and have nowhere to go. 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 that Russia raises against the war is very important. If a person speaks out against the war inside Russia, it is much stronger than abroad (up to 15 years in prison for publicly using the word war, ed.). Because you are showing your compatriots that you don’t have to be afraid, that you can and must talk about it and that not everyone is in prison. You know, many Russians are now thanking me on social networks, saying that my example inspired them, they are now also protesting and speaking out.
How do you feel ? Is it a feeling of fear, outrage, anger?
I feel helpless. I am trying to call out to the Russian people to end the war and not to believe the propaganda. But the people in Russia are not reacting, they are frustrated, they seem lost. Everyone is trying to distance themselves from war-related information. People try to ignore what’s happening. Maybe they want to save their mental state in this way. Perhaps people are so intimidated by these political trials and criminal prosecutions regarding the “discrediting” of the army and the misinformation about the war that they try not to see the obvious or simply remain silent out of fear.
I’m really sorry that people have such a view because a lot depends on us now. And I truly believe that the authorities cannot lock us all up. When people start demonstrating en masse, the Kremlin will be scared.
“I’m not giving up, I’ll keep fighting. Better dozens of fines than staying silent in the current situation.”
Marina Ovsiannikova
at franceinfo
French President Emmanuel Macron offered them “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 and drink champagne in Cannes. 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 by a club to restore justice. Unfortunately that is my nature. In this situation, it was therefore impossible to accept this offer.