Russian journalist in France hospitalized from suspected poisoning

French prosecutors are investigating a suspected poisoning of a Russian journalist who fled after denouncing the war in Ukraine on live television.

Marina Ovsyannikova called emergency services and was hospitalized after suddenly falling ill as she left her Paris apartment on Thursday and said she suspected she was poisoned, the Paris prosecutor’s office said.

Police were examining her apartment and an investigation was underway, the prosecutor’s office said.

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, which helped Ovsyannikova escape Russia and settle in France, said its team has been ‘’at her side’’ since she sought medical attention.

The group, known also by its French acronym RSF, did not have further information about what happened.

Ovsyannikova, who worked at Russian state television Channel One, drew international attention in March 2022 after appearing behind the anchor of an evening news broadcast with a sign that said, “Stop the war, don’t believe the propaganda, they are lying to you here.”