NEW YORK -- An employee of Russian state television who interrupted a live news program to protest the war in Ukraine was released from custody Tuesday and fined about US$270, but still could face a prison sentence.

Marina Ovsyannikova told reporters she was not allowed to sleep while held in police custody and that she was interrogated for 14 hours.

Ovsyannikova, an employee of Channel 1, walked behind the presenter during Monday鈥檚 evening news show with a poster saying 鈥渟top the war, don鈥檛 believe the propaganda, they are lying to you here.鈥� In English, it said 鈥渘o war鈥� at the top of the poster and 鈥淩ussians against the war鈥� at the bottom.

In a video recorded earlier, she urged Russians to join antiwar protests and said that 鈥淩ussia is the aggressor country and one person, Vladimir Putin, solely bears responsibility for that aggression.鈥�

The state news agency Tass said Ovsyannikova was fined for the video and remains under investigation for the on-air protest under a law banning dissemination of 鈥渄eliberately false information鈥� about the use of Russian armed forces. The new law carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence.

Ovsyannikova, whose father is Ukrainian and her mother Russian, spent the night in police custody.

鈥淭hese were very difficult days of my life because I literally went two full days without sleep, the interrogation lasted for more than 14 hours and they didn鈥檛 allow me to contact my family and close friends, didn鈥檛 provide any legal support,鈥� Ovsyannikova said.

The court ordered her to pay a fine of 30,000 rubles (about $270) on charges of organizing unsanctioned actions for her call to take part in demonstrations against the war.

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