France is ready to grant asylum to the Russian woman who interrupted a live broadcast on Russian state television brandishing a poster against the war in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday, adding he will raise the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On Monday, a woman ran onto the set of an evening news program on Russian state television’s flagship Channel One holding a poster reading: “No war. Stop the war. Don’t believe propaganda. They lie to you here. Russians against war.” She yelled: “Stop the war, no to war” before the camera cut away.
The woman, Marina Ovsyannikova, was detained and taken to a Moscow police station, according to Russian state-run news agency TASS and OVD-Info, a human-rights group that tracks demonstrations and helps protesters find lawyers. TASS cited a law-enforcement source as saying the woman worked for the channel.
“We are obviously taking steps aimed at offering your colleague our protection at the embassy or an asylum protection,” Mr. Macron told reporters Tuesday. “I will have the opportunity during my next conversation with President Putin to propose this solution,” he added.
Messrs. Macron and Putin have spoken several times over the phone in recent days. It is unclear when they will speak again, a spokeswoman for Mr. Macron said.
Mr. Macron also said France will seek clarity on the woman’s current status.
Russia’s Investigative Committee is looking into charging her under a law signed by Mr. Putin earlier this month that imposes a prison sentence of up to 15 years for anyone convicted of knowingly disseminating false information and data about the use of Russia’s armed forces, TASS reported.
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