An anchor with the television channel RT - 'Russia Today' - dramatically issued her resignation live on air on Wednesday afternoon, in protest of deployment of Russia-backed forces in Ukraine on Wednesday.
The journalist, recognized as Liz Wahl, said during the dramatic broadcast that she could no longer work for the network which she said was whitewashing moves by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"My grandparents came here as refugees during the Hungarian revolution, ironically to escape the Soviet forces," she said during the live broadcast.
"Personally, I cannot be part of a network funded by the Russian government that whitewashes the actions of Putin," she said. "I'm proud to be an American and believe in disseminating the truth, and that is why, after this newscast, I am resigning," she added.
The shocking on-air resignation is first of its kind. The action comes after another US-based RT host, Abby Martin, criticized the action of pro-Russian military units on her show.
Watch the dramatic video below
Reacting to the embarrassing live resignation of the journalist, the television network accused Wahl of her "self-promotional stunt" and said that her professionalism was in question, News 24 reported.
"When a journalist disagrees with the editorial position of his or her organization, the usual course of action is to address those grievances with the editor and if they cannot be resolved, they must quit like a professional," it said adding: "When someone makes a big public show of a personal decision, it is nothing more than a self-promotional stunt."
The Russian-funded network is often considered to have a pro-Russia view.
