French authorities have launched an investigation after a former Russian state TV journalist, who denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine live on air, was suddenly taken ill on leaving her Paris apartment.
Reporters Without Borders (RWB) helped the journalist leave Russia and resettle in Paris where she was taken ill on Thursday.
Officials in Paris are now investigating if the 45-year-old was poisoned and are examining her apartment.
Head of RWB, Christophe Deloire said the group had been with Ms Ovsyannikova the “whole day” and that she was now recovering in hospital.
At the time of her protest, Ms Ovsyannikova was charged with disparaging the Russian military and fined 30,000 roubles (£252).
She then staged a protest near the Kremlin in July 2022, was detained and then put under house arrest before she fled to France with her daughter.
Earlier this month, a Russian court sentenced Ms Ovsyannikova to eight and a half years in prison for spreading “false information” about the army.
Since the invasion last year, the Russian government has made it illegal to refer to the war as an “invasion”. State media have been instructed to refer to the war as a “special military operation”.
