Marina Ovsyannikova, a producer of Russia’s state-run Channel One who was arrested after protesting the Ukraine invasion in the middle of a live broadcast last week, explained her “spontaneous decision” to crash a broadcast with an anti-war sign during an interview on ABC News on Sunday.
I do like the “heart” on the news reader’s sweater. And the way she just went on like “nothing to see here”
Very puzzling to hear this woman talking in this matter-of-fact way on Western television, with Putin having just had a giant propaganda rally and crackdowns on protest across the country. 
Marina Ovsyannikova, a producer of Russia’s state-run Channel One who was arrested after protesting the Ukraine invasion in the middle of a live broadcast last week, explained her “spontaneous decision” to crash a broadcast with an anti-war sign during an interview on ABC News on Sunday.
I confess I have been skeptical of Marina Ovsyannikova’s direct action. The very public slap on the wrist has not added to her credibility.
And yet what she says is persuasive and moving. I want very much to believe her. I also want very much to see her safely out of Russia very soon if she’s on the up and up.
She was offered asylum at the French Embassy and refused. I don’t think she wants to go anywhere.
Slightly OT
Zelensky: ‘If we were a NATO member, a war wouldn’t have started’
Of course he is absolutely right.
From:
Think of Alexey Navalny.
If what we are seeing is just the straight reality, her courage leaves me speechless.
Marina Ovsyannikova gets a “profile in courage” award for her protest. She was in a very strong position to know the kind of response she was likely to get from Putin’s dictatorship for showing public dissent to his supposedly popular war.
Sheer courage would be one explanation, and certainly the simplest. But this is a part of the world where things are even more rarely than usual what they appear, so I have to keep wondering.
They may have left her alone to create the impression that the crackdown on dissent is grossly exaggerated. The whole world saw her protest, after all.
I have to wonder how many they have. They can’t be cheap and likely require a finer process of manufacture.
Unless they are actually outsourced.
But it is strange that they raised the threat the way they did.
Something is amiss like so much else in their military showing.
the propaganda on our state channels was becoming more and more distorted
I bet they haven’t gotten to laser-shootin’ UFOs yet : - )
OT but Clarence Thomas is in the hospital with “flu symptoms.” I’m sure everyone wishes for—how to put this—the best possible outcome.
Why the skepticism over her authenticity? Is it because of suspicions that Putin is trying to “greenwash” his crackdowns by being able to say “See, I let this crazy woman speak her mind and she hasn’t fallen off of a balcony or ingested polonium by accident!”? Somehow I don’t think that’s how things work in Putin’s Russia.
He’s in my thoughts and prayers–which are NSFW.
What, never?
I just saw the first episode of Zelensky’s Ukrainian TV series Servant of the People, in which he plays a history teacher who’s elected president. It’s actually pretty good, high production values but also an authentic feel to it. Given his doing this in real life and his behavior so far during this invasion, he’s surely the most interesting political figure in recent years.
Sorry, Vladdy. You’re predictable, boring and tiresome. I wish someone canceled you.
Thoughts and prayers don’t have to be supportive.
You can think and pray for whatever you think would be best.
Again, we’re all free to imagine outcomes we think would be best for the greatest number. And we’re free to imagine them happening as soon as possible. 
