Alexei Moskalyov, a Russian citizen, was sentenced to two years in jail on Tuesday on charges of ‘discrediting the armed forces’ after his 13-year-old daughter Masha drew an anti-war painting at school depicting Russian missiles heaping down on a Ukrainian mother and child, along with a Ukrainian flag with the words ‘Glory to Ukraine’ and ‘No to war’ written over the Russian tricolour. The school head informed the police about the painting, and the investigation began in April last year.
Moskalyov’s struggle with the Russian investigators continued as the police examined his social media activity and fined him $460 for criticising the Russian military. Later, based on a social media post from June, the authorities filed another case against him for suspicion of ‘discrediting the armed forces’ in December. In March, the authorities house-arrested Moskalyov and separated him from his daughter, placing Masha in a children’s home in their hometown of Yefremov, south of Moscow.
Moskalyov’s whereabouts are currently unknown as he fled from house arrest, according to an official post by the court. The founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, called the court’s decision unfair and wrote a letter to the case prosecutor, asking for a review. Prigozhin also called for lawyers associated with Wagner to be allowed to work for the defender in a joint appeal. The banned human rights group Memorial referred to Moskalyov as a political prisoner.
The case has sparked an outcry amongst Russian human right activists, and an online campaign has been launched to reunite the father and daughter. Moskalyov’s lawyer, Vladimir Biliyenko, stated that he saw his client last Monday and did not know his whereabouts. He also visited Masha in the children’s home and returned with sketches she drew for her father and a letter she wrote to him, reading, “Dad, you’re my hero.” Biliyenko stated that Masha would stay in the children’s home for a while, and the defence would appeal against the two-year sentence verdict.
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