Millions of Russians were tuned into the 9pm news broadcast on Channel One when they witnessed the surprise protest.
Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor at the channel, appeared behind the show's presenter holding a large card with the words "No War" written in large English.
Below those words and written in Russian was the message: "Stop the war. Don't believe the propaganda. Here they are lying to you." It was signed in English "Russians against the war."
Before the show was taken off the air, Ovsyannikova was heard shouting the message "Stop the war!"
Diversion during Channel One main state TV evening show tonight - a woman with No to War poster yells stop the war. Channel One already "probing the incident regarding the outsider's presence during live broadcast." pic.twitter.com/wHyV9lyHZe
— Mary Ilyushina (@maryilyushina) March 14, 2022
Following the disruption, Channel One released a statement saying "an incident took place with an extraneous woman in shot."
The channel went on to say that "an internal check is being carried out."
Ovsyannikova was detained and could face up to 10 years in prison under new laws banning any actions that "discredit the use of Russia's armed forces."
Prior to her on-air protest, Ovsyannikova recorded a video message in which she expressed her shame for contributing to "Kremlin propaganda" as an employee of the station.
"Unfortunately, in recent years I worked on Channel One, making Kremlin propaganda and I am now very ashamed of this," she said. "I'm ashamed that I allowed lies to be spoken from the TV screen. I'm ashamed I allowed Russian people to be zombified. We were silent in 2014 when this was all just beginning. We didn't go to protests when the Kremlin poisoned (Alexei) Navalny. We just silently observed this anti-human regime. And now the whole world has turned away from us."
A video the TV network employee Maria Ovsyannikova recorded before storming the live Russian state news broadcast with a protest sign is now circulating. In it, she says her father is Ukrainian, her mother is Russian, and blames Putin for the war, calling on Russians to protest. pic.twitter.com/7yICeugRfe
— Paul Sonne (@PaulSonne) March 14, 2022
