The French head of state said he was ready to offer "consular protection" to journalist Marina Ovsiannikova, either at the embassy or by granting her asylum.

The scene occurred during the main evening news program of this channel, the most powerful in the country, Pervy Kanal.

A daily meeting followed by millions of Russians since Soviet times.

As the presenter was speaking, Ms Ovsiannikova popped up behind her with a placard that read: "No to war. Don't believe the propaganda. You are being lied to here."

"The Russians are against the war", could we still read on this sign, on which were drawn the flags of Ukraine and Russia.

Imperturbable, the presenter continued to speak for a few seconds while the protester chanted "stop the war".

Then the channel ended the live broadcast.

"False information"

Journalist Marina Ovsiannikova was judged on Tuesday to have demonstrated illegally and the defendant faces 10 days in detention.

"I do not recognize my guilt," she proclaimed in the courtroom, stressing that she had expressed her opposition to the conflict, according to an AFP journalist.

"I remain convinced that Russia is committing a crime (...) and that it is the aggressor of Ukraine," she added.

She was not immediately charged with the crime of publishing "false information" about the Russian military, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison under a law enacted after the start of the conflict, which his lawyer had previously expressed concern.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in Moscow on December 23 NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA AFP/Archives

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday called the protest an act of "hooliganism".

"The channel and those who have to take care of it, take care of it," he added.

In Brussels, a spokesperson for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell hailed Ovsiannikova's gesture, saying she had "taken a courageous moral stance and dared to oppose the Kremlin's lies and propaganda live on a state-controlled television channel".

Spokesman Peter Stano called the channel's boss "one of the regime's chief propagandists".

In addition to the new law on "false information" relating to the military, the mere use of the word "war" by the media or individuals to describe the Russian invasion of Ukraine is liable to prosecution.

The video of the incident has spread like wildfire on social networks, many Internet users hailing the "extraordinary courage" of this woman, in a context of brutal repression against any form of dissent.

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, several thousand demonstrators have been arrested in Russia, including more than 5,000 on March 6 alone.

In a video previously recorded and published by the NGO OVD-Info, Ms. Ovsiannikova explains that her father being Ukrainian and her mother Russian, she cannot see the two countries as enemies.

"Unfortunately, I worked for Pervy Kanal for the past few years, doing propaganda for the Kremlin. I'm very ashamed of that today," she says.

In their attempt to control all information about the conflict, the Russian authorities have blocked most of the still independent media, as well as the main social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook.

As a result, most Russians only have access to the version issued by the government and Kremlin-controlled media, including Pervy Kanal, of a "special military operation" aimed at "denazifying" Ukraine and preventing a "genocide".

© 2022 AFP