Former Russian State TV Journalist Gets 8 1/2-Year Sentence in Absentia for Ukraine War Criticism

Former Russian State TV Journalist Gets 8 1/2-Year Sentence in Absentia for Ukraine War Criticism
Marina Ovsyannikova reads a paper sitting in a court room during a hearing in Moscow on Aug. 11, 2022. Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo
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A Moscow court on Wednesday sentenced a former state TV journalist 8 1/2 years in prison in absentia for protesting Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Marina Ovsyannikova was charged with spreading false information about the Russian army, a criminal offense under a law adopted shortly after President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine.