The TV presenter has now fled the country
(Picture: Instagram )A prominent Russian TV presenter has quit her job and left the country following the invasion of Ukraine, according to reports.
Liliya Gildeyeva, 45, was a leading anchor on Gazprom’s media channel NTV for 15 years but she revealed she feared she would not be allowed to leave the state in protest of the invasion.
Ms Gildeyeva told blogger Ilya Varlamov: “At first I left, I was afraid they wouldn’t let me go, then I wrote my resignation letter."
The channel is Russia’s third-most popular TV station.
The news anchor herself was praised by Vladimir Putin in 2021 for her achievements in developing mass media.
Her departure comes as editor for Russia’s Channel Marina Ovsyannikova interrupted a broadcast with an anti-war protest on Monday evening.
The journalist ran onto the set during the programme and held a sign saying: “No war, stop the war, don’t believe the propaganda, they are lying to you here.”
Ovsyannikova was fined 30,000 roubles (£213) following a court hearing, state media reported.
Earlier, the Kremlin described Ms Ovsyannikova as a “hooligan”.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: “As far as this woman is concerned, this is hooliganism. The channel and those who are supposed to will get to the bottom of this.”
Under the legislation, anyone accused of spreading misinformation concerning the army or those who call for sanctions against Russia could face 10 to 15 years in prison.
