Russian authorities on Wednesday raided the home of a former state television journalist who quit after making an on-air protest against Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, and launched a criminal case against her on the charge of spreading false information about the Russian armed forces, her lawyer said on social media.

The case against Marina Ovsyannikova was launched under a law enacted after the February 24 invasion that penalizes statements against the military, lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov said. A conviction is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.