
A court on Tuesday released a Russian TV editor who had protested against President Putin's military action against Ukraine with a $280 fine.
TV editor Marina Ovsyannikova had placed a poster behindthe anchor on the live news show which read "No War" as the clip went viral worldwide. The sign read: "NO WAR. Stop the war. Don't believe propaganda. They are lying to you here."
Marina faced ten-day detention for speaking out against the war. Russian President Putin had declared his forces were undertaking a "special military operation" as Russian forces began bombardment of Ukraine on February 24.
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Ovsyannikova pleaded not guilty before the court and declared that, "I am still convinced that Russia is committing a crime". She said Russian authorities questioned her for 14 hours even as his lawyer earlier the day had said she could not be located.
Her lawyer Daniil Berman had said Marina faced a longer prison sentence under new laws against "fake news" of upto 15 years in jail. In a video release, Ovsyannikova declared that her father is Ukrainian and her mother is Russian.
"I was not allowed to contact my relatives or provided with any judicial help," she told reporters.
Kremlin denounced her protest as "hooliganism" as the court said she was found guilty of flouting protest laws. In a video recording before the incident, Ovsyannikova said: "The next 10 generations of our descendants will not wash away the shame of this fratricidal war."
(With inputs from Agencies)