Oct 17 (Reuters) - Former Russian state TV journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, accused of spreading "fake news" about the war in Ukraine, has fled the country after escaping from house arrest, her lawyer said on Monday. Ovsyannikova is currently "under the protection of a European state", lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov said, declining to elaborate as "it may turn out to be a problem" for her. Zakhvatov said that Ovsyannikova's daughter left the country with her, while her son remained in Russia. Russia passed new laws against discrediting or distributing "deliberately false information" about the armed forces on March 4, eight days after invading Ukraine. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Filipp Lebedev and Caleb Davis; Editing by Mark TrevelyanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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