Ex-journalist for Russian state TV says she quit over war

A former Paris-based Europe correspondent for Russian state-controlled broadcaster Channel One said Tuesday she resigned this month due to Russia's war against Ukraine and voiced fears she'll be accused of being a highly paid spy.

Zhanna Agalakova quit as the war broke out in Ukraine, joining a string of colleagues from Russia's strictly state-controlled network. She told a press conference in Paris that when I spoke to my bosses, I said I cannot do this job anymore ... I left Channel One specifically because the war started.

The 56-year-old, who used to be a newsreader at the channel, said she believed Russian networks had been commandeered by the Kremlin to broadcast lies and propaganda for years now, leaving little remaining in the way of independent media. Russians, she said, were being zombified as a result.