MOSCOW, August 10 (RAPSI) — Former Russian TV journalist Marina Ovsyannikova who was fined on several occasions for discrediting the country's armed forces in social media posts faces criminal charges and up to 10 years in prison, her lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov told RAPSI.

Ovsyannikova was accused of publicly disseminating knowingly false information about the operation of the Russian Armed Forces based on political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred or enmity, or on the basis of hatred or enmity against any social group, as defined by the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Investigators are interrogating the journalist, the court has not decided yet whether to place her under house arrest or in a pre-trial detention, Zakhvatov said. 

This summer, Moscow courts fined Ovsyannikova twice in the framework of administrative proceedings over discrediting the country’s Armed Forces, charging from her fines in the amount of 50,000 and 40,000 rubles ($830 and $650 accordingly at the current exchange rate). 

Also, this March, the Moscow Ostankinsky District Court found Ovsyannikova guilty of committing an administrative offense, that is a violation of the established procedure for organizing or holding a meeting, rally, demonstration, procession or picketing, and imposed an administrative fine on the ex-editor in the amount of 30,000 rubles ($500).

The fine was imposed after Ovsyannikova had demonstrated a poster against the special operation in Ukraine in the course of a live broadcast of the Vremya program on Channel One.