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Ukraine: Russian TV Journalist ‘Disappears’ After ‘No War’ Protest

Published

4 years ago

March 15, 2022

A Russian journalist, Marina Ovsyannikova, who held up a sign in protest of the war in Ukraine behind the studio presenter of Russia’s state TV Channel One, has reportedly disappeared after she was arrested by the Russian authorities.

Ovsyannikova interrupted a live broadcast Monday evening, holding up a sign with “No War” written on it, denouncing the war in Ukraine.

According to a statement posted to the European Commission’s official Facebook page, Ovsyannikova shouted, “Stop the war. No to war,” when bursting onto the set of the country’s most-watched evening news broadcast.

“She condemned Moscow’s military action in Ukraine holding up a hand-written poster in Russian saying: ‘Don’t believe the propaganda. They’re lying to you here.’ It was signed in English: ‘Russians against the war,’” the statement read.

Sky News reports that the Kremlin has reacted to the action of the journalist, calling it “hooliganism.”

Russia has imposed strict controls on news reporting, forbidding the use of the words “war” or “invasion” and instead referring to the conflict as a “special military operation.”

According to Sky News, those who break the laws – which came into force during the invasion – face up to 15 years in prison.

Meanwhile, an official of the European Commission has commended “brave” and “peace loving” Russian citizens for daring to speak out against Russia’s war in Ukraine.

In a video posted to the Commission’s verified Twitter handle, on Tuesday, the official said, “We applaud the courage of brave Russian citizens and peace loving Russian citizens who dare to express their opposition to this war by Putin despite all existing restrictions.

“The most recent example is the Russian TV journalist, Marina Ovsyannikova, who took a brave moral stance and dared to object Kremlin’s lies and propaganda live on air on a state-controlled TV channel.”

While accusing the CEO of the channel as one of the chief propagandists in the war, the official noted that Ovsyannikova “was detained and has disappeared” and “her lawyers are not allowed to contact her.”

In a pre-recorded video released after her arrest, Ovsyannikova condemned the war in Ukraine and regretted being a part of Russian propaganda.

“What is happening now in Ukraine is a crime, and Russia is the aggressor country. The responsibility for that aggression lies on the conscience of only one man, and that man is Vladimir Putin.

“My father is Ukrainian, my mother is Russian. They were never enemies. The necklace on my neck is a symbol that Russia must immediately stop the fratricidal war. Our brotherly nations will then still be able to make peace.

“Sadly, during the past years I worked with Channel One, I spread the Kremlin propaganda and I am very ashamed of this. I am ashamed I allowed lies to be told on TV screens. I am ashamed I allowed Russian people to be fooled.

“We were silent in 2014 when it all started. We did not go out to protest when the Kremlin poisoned Navalny. We simply watched this inhumane regime.

“Now the whole world has turned away from us and the next ten generations of our descendants will not wash away the shame of this fratricidal war.

“We the Russians are wise and proud; it is up to us to stop this madness. Come out to protest, do not be afraid. They cannot put all of us in jail,” she said.

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Putin Says Russia Ready For War, Blames Europe For Sabotaging Peace

Published

1 hour ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia was “ready” for war if Europe seeks one, accusing the continent’s leaders of trying to sabotage a deal on the Ukraine conflict before he met with US envoys.

The comments came as US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were in Moscow for high-stakes talks on ending the nearly four-year war, which were preceded by days of intense diplomacy.

“We are not planning to go to war with Europe, but if Europe wants to and starts, we are ready right now,” Putin told reporters in Moscow.

“They have no peaceful agenda, they are on the side of war,” he added, repeating his claim that European leaders were hindering US attempts to broker peace in Ukraine.

He added that European changes to Trump’s latest plan to end the war “aimed solely at one thing — to completely block the entire peace process and put forward demands that are absolutely unacceptable for Russia”.

Washington has presented a 28-point draft to end the conflict, later amended after criticism from Kyiv and Europe, which viewed it as heeding to many of Russia’s maximalist demands.

The plan to end the war is championed by Trump, but European countries fear it risks forcing Kyiv to cave in to Russian demands, notably on territory.

Fearing further Russian aggression, Europe has repeatedly said an unfair peace should not be imposed on Ukraine.

The Trump envoys are now seeking to finalise the plan with the approval of Moscow and Kyiv.
AFP

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US Senator Proposes Bill To End Dual Citizenship

Published

2 hours ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

A United States lawmaker has introduced a bill seeking to abolish dual citizenship for American nationals, a move that could affect thousands of Nigerians who hold both US and Nigerian passports.

Bernie Moreno, a Colombian-born US senator, announced the proposed legislation — titled the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025 — arguing that the current system, which allows Americans to hold multiple nationalities, creates “conflicts of interest and divided loyalties.”

“One of the greatest honours of my life was when I became an American citizen at 18, the first opportunity I could do so.

“It was an honour to pledge an Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America and only to the United States of America! Being an American citizen is an honour and a privilege—and if you want to be an American, it’s all or nothing. It’s time to end dual citizenship for good,” Moreno said.

Moreno, who has since renounced his Colombian citizenship, maintains that exclusive allegiance is essential to national integrity.

If passed, the bill could have far-reaching implications for prominent figures such as US First Lady Melania Trump, who holds both US and Slovenian citizenship. It would also significantly impact Nigerians with dual citizenship.

According to a July naturalisation flow report by the US Department of Homeland Security, 38,890 Nigerians became naturalised American citizens between 2021 and 2023. Nigeria ranked 13th among countries with the highest number of new US citizens and was the only African nation in the top 20.

Nigerian law allows citizens by birth to hold dual nationality without relinquishing their Nigerian citizenship.

This development comes months after President Donald Trump issued an executive order aimed at denying automatic US citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants born in the country.

The order was immediately challenged by 18 states and multiple rights groups, who argued it violates the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship. Ongoing legal battles have prevented the order from taking effect.

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12 Die, 30 Missing In Peru Landslide

Published

1 day ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

At least 12 people, including three children, died in a landslide at a river port in central Peru on Monday, and 30 were reported missing, officials said.

The landslide submerged a boat with about 50 passengers on board, and another with none, as they were docked at the port of Iparia in the Amazon jungle region of Ucayali, according to a police report cited by the Andina news agency.

Six people were injured, it added, and a search and rescue operation was underway at the start of the Peruvian rainy season.

Without giving a toll, Peru’s COEN national emergency operations centre said on X that tragedy struck at dawn due to “erosion” of the bank of the Ucayali river.

It said the navy has been called in to help.

AFP