
A lawyer for the Russian TV editor who held up an anti-war sign during a live broadcast on Monday still does not know where she is, he told CNN on Tuesday.
Dmitry Zakhvatov has been trying to locate Channel One editor Marina Ovsyannikova since her protest on Monday, he told CNN.
Zakhvatov confirmed to CNN that Ovsyannikova is the woman seen on air holding the sign and that she is an editor for the channel.
"Stop the war. Do not believe propaganda they tell you lies here," the sign read, concluding in English: "Russians against war."
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the protest as “hooliganism.”
“As far as this lady is concerned, this is hooliganism,” Peskov told reporters on a conference call Tuesday, adding that authorities are already handling her case.
“The channel and those who are in charge are dealing with it,” he added. “It's not an issue on [the Kremlin] agenda.”
Hooliganism is a criminal offense in Russia.
Asked about possible criminal charges against Ovsyannikova, Peskov shied away from the question, referring to the “responsibility” that state TV channels bear.
“There are certain departments that deal with this,” Peskov said. “The live broadcast of any TV channel and especially those who work there hold a special responsibility.”
The Investigative Committee — a top Russian law enforcement agency — launched a pre-investigation check against Ovsyannikova on “public dissemination of deliberately false information about the use of the Russian Armed Forces,” Russian state news agency TASS reported Tuesday, citing an unnamed source.