Marina Ovsyannikova, the Russian Journalist who Protested against the War in Ukraine: „My son says I ruined the family's life"

Russia's courageous journalist in private: „My son says I ruined the family's life"

For six seconds, Marina Ovsyannikova held up a poster on "Vremya", the main news program on Russian state television, and became an icon for freedom of speech and the press overnight. Those six seconds on live television would change her life forever. Sven Lilienström, founder of the Faces of Democracy initiative, spoke with the 43-year-old editor about what motivated her to take such a courageous move with concrete repercussions, the minutes that followed, and how her family reacted. Novinite presents the whole interview, courtesy of the Faces of Democracy initiative

Sven: Ms. Ovsyannikova, in a matter of minutes, you became a global icon for freedom of the press and freedom of expression, a champion of democracy. What do democracy and democratic values mean to you personally?

Marina: For me, democracy means being able to live as a free person. However, my home country, Russia, has recently turned into a totalitarian state that is increasingly closing itself off from the outside world. Communication has been affected as well. Virtually all independent media outlets are blocked or classified as "foreign agents" and most social media platforms are no longer accessible. State-directed information propaganda is now almost the only news sources for the Russian people, leading to an information vacuum - which we have to overcome.

I have always enjoyed traveling and talking to many different people. Therefore, democratic values are not empty phrases for me. On the contrary, these values mean that people in Russia can exchange their views with the whole world and express their point of view instead of living as...