“An investigation has been opened” against Ms. Ovsiannikova for “disseminating false information” about the Russian army, lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov told AFP.

"She has been arrested" and will have to spend the night in a remand center, he said.

Investigators must now decide whether Marina Ovsiannikova, 44 and mother of two minor children, will be placed in official pre-trial detention or remain free pending trial, according to the same source.

She faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty by the Russian courts.

According to a message posted by Ms Ovsiannikova on Telegram, a dozen law enforcement officers raided her home early Wednesday morning and "frightened" her daughter.

The investigation was opened after a solitary protest action by Ms. Ovsiannikova.

In mid-July, she came to a wharf near the Kremlin with a sign saying "Putin is a murderer, his soldiers are fascists", with "bloody" toys lying next to her.

Since the end of July, Ms. Ovsiannikova has already been sentenced twice to fines for having "discredited" the Russian army, in particular on the basis of messages criticizing the offensive in Ukraine published on social networks.

Two convictions less than six months apart pave the way for a criminal case, with potential legal consequences much heavier.

Ms. Ovsiannikova became famous in mid-March after appearing, in full newspaper, on the set of a pro-Kremlin television channel for which she worked.

During her speech, she carried a sign denouncing the offensive in Ukraine and the "propaganda" of the media controlled by the power.

The images of his gesture went around the world.

Many people praised his courage, in a context of repression of any critical voice in Russia.

However, she is not unanimous within the Russian opposition, some still reproaching her for her years spent working for the Pervy Kanal channel, the Kremlin's mouthpiece.

After working several months abroad, notably for the German newspaper die Welt, she announced in early July that she had returned to Russia to settle a dispute related to the custody of her two children.

Russia, which has already been engaged for many years in repressing voices critical of the Kremlin, has considerably toughened since the assault on Ukraine its criminal arsenal against those who denounce Russian power.

© 2022 AFP