 Martin drew widespread media attention when she closed her show on March 3, 2014, with a minute-long statement condemning the Russian military intervention in Ukraine. She appeared to be reading from a teleprompter, leading observers to conclude that her remarks were made with the consent of the show's producers. Glenn Greenwald wrote a piece that compared Martin's statement favorably to the behavior of the United States media during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. RT also issued a statement saying: "Contrary to the popular opinion, RT doesn 't beat its journalists into submission, and they are free to express their own opinions, not just in private but on the air." RT added: "[W] e'll be sending her to Crimea to give her an opportunity to make up her own mind from the epicentre of the story." Martin declined the offer, saying "I am not going to Crimea despite the statement RT has made."
