Lawyers for Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who held up a handwritten sign and interrupted a live broadcast of state TV on Monday say they cannot find her after she was detained by Putin’s goons for the very public protest against the invasion of Ukraine, the BBC reports. Lawyer Anastasia Kostanova, told the BBC her calls to Ovsyannikova have gone unanswered and she’s “spent the whole night looking” for the missing journalist. “This means that they are hiding her from her lawyers and trying to deprive her of legal assistance and, apparently, they are trying to prepare the most stringent prosecution,” Kostanova said. Another lawyer for Ovsyannikova, also unable to find her, told the BBC he expects the journalist to be fined 30,000 to 60,000 rubles.
Independent monitoring group OVD-Info estimates about 14,000 Russians have been arrested for protesting the Putin regime since the invasion of Ukraine began on Feb 24th. 170 remain in custody.
UPDATE 3/15/22 10:35 AM: The Daily Beast reports Ovsyannikova appeared in court Tuesday to be arraigned on charges of illegal protesting. She will not be charged under the draconian new Russian anti-“fake news” law that threatens journalists with decades in prison for upsetting the regime.