In Belarus, a 54-year-old Russian was arrested on Thursday who was on the run from the authorities in his country because his daughter had made a drawing against the war at the age of 12.
Alexei Moskalyov had been under house arrest since March 1 and was sentenced to two years in a prison camp in his home country. His daughter Maria has been placed in a home.
The drawing of Mary shows a woman holding the hand of a child. To her left is a Ukrainian flag with ‘Glory to Ukraine’ written on it. The right side of the drawing shows oncoming missiles and a Russian flag. It reads ‘No to war’.
No more contact
The girl (now 13 years old) made the drawing in high school. Symbolic of the Russian authorities’ struggle against public criticism of the invasion of Ukraine, the school principal immediately alerted the police. Alexei, who is raising his daughter alone in Efremov, was placed under house arrest on March 1. Maria had to go to a home and there was no longer any contact between the two.
The drawing prompted a further investigation by the authorities into Moskalyov. He turned out to have been critical of Russia’s military activities in Ukraine in the past on social media. Last Tuesday, the man was sentenced to two years in prison in a court in his hometown for ‘discrediting’ the army. Moskalev, however, had not waited for the verdict and had already left.
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Petition
An online petition demanding the return of the child to her father has already been signed more than 145,000 times, according to AFP news agency. Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin also expressed his support for Maria and criticized the local authorities for sending the young girl to an orphanage. The Kremlin said on Wednesday it was following the case closely, accusing the single father of “failing to fulfill his parental obligations.”
The lawyer representing the family published a letter from the girl that same day in which she said she supported her father. “I love you very much, you are not guilty of anything, I will always be by your side…I am sure that everything will be fine and we will be together again…I know that you will not give in, you are strong, we are strong … I will pray for you and for us’.
It all added to the emotion with which Russia is following the case. The case has sparked outrage among human rights activists both in Russia and abroad. The family’s lawyer is trying to ensure that the girl can stay with other relatives.
Belarus
Alexei Moskalyov was arrested in Belarus on Thursday. He would have been arrested in Minsk, AFP news agency reports on the basis of Russian media and a lawyer who would be in contact with Moskalyov. The location of the 54-year-old father could probably be traced after he turned on his mobile phone.
It is not clear how Moskalyov ended up in Minsk. It will likely take several days before he is sent back to Russia, the family’s lawyer said. A hearing on the man’s parental authority was already scheduled for April 6.
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