Russian state TV sees spate of resignations amid Ukraine war

Several journalists have resigned from jobs in Russian state TV amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, reports the BBC.

The news comes after Marina Ovsyannikova, an employee with state-run Channel One, burst onto the Russian nightly news set with a placard protesting the war. She is no longer working there.

Her Channel One colleague Zhanna Agalakova has resigned, while NTV has seen the departures of Lilia Gildeyeva, a presenter at the channel since 2006, and Vadim Glusker, who had been working there for nearly 30 years, the BBC reports.

Rumours abound of resignations at All-Russia state TV group VGTRK, the report said. However, TV host Sergey Brilev denied reports of his resignation, saying he had been on a business trip.

Several journalists, including non-Russians, have also resigned from RT.

The highest-profile departure was former Chief Editor Maria Baranova, who told the BBC that Vladimir Putin had destroyed Russia’s reputation and that its economy was dead.  

RT’s London Correspondent Shadia Edwards-Dashti and Moscow-based journalist Jonny Tickle quit on the same day. Tickle said his decision was taken ‘in light of recent events’.

French RT presenter Frédéric Taddeï also tendered his resignation, saying his native country was ‘in open conflict’ with Russia and he could not continue as host ‘out of loyalty to my country’.

Other media personalities have also been missing from recent state TV broadcasts.

Ivan Urgant, one of Russia’s biggest talk show hosts, has taken a break from his show on Channel One after making an Instagram post that said: “Fear and pain. No War.” He has assured his fans that he is on holiday and will be back soon.

Russian celebrity couple Alla Pugacheva and Maxim Galkin have also gone on holiday, soon after Galkin said on Instagram: "There can be no justification for war! No War!”