Her father had to pay for 14-year-old Maria’s anti-war drawing, which was made as part of her school lessons: he spent more than a year in a Russian prison under torturous conditions.
Because the then 13-year-old daughter criticized the Russian offensive in Ukraine, her father Alexei Moskalyov came into the crosshairs of the authorities – who put an end to it. After arriving at the prison camp, he was put in a cell, Moskalyov reported in a video broadcast by the human rights organization OWD-Info about his appalling prison conditions.
He spent two months there. He described the small cell, which he said he shared with another prisoner, as “a real torture cell.” “The floor was rotten, there were rats everywhere.”
He also suffered from “terrible” cold. Among other things, he had to stay on his feet for 16 hours “because the beds were tied back to the wall in the morning, so he could not lie down.” “It was impossible to sit on the little metal bench, it was freezing,” he said.
Daughter now lives with father again
After this period of horror, Alexei Moskalyov is now a free man again, his lawyer Vladimir Biljenko reported on Tuesday. “He’s feeling more or less good, he’s finally been able to see his daughter again.” OWD-Info published a video showing Moskalyov leaving a prison camp in the Tula region south of Moscow with his 14-year-old daughter Maria:
According to his lawyer, the 56-year-old and his daughter are now returning to Jefremov, where they will live together again.
Worldwide consternation
The single father’s case made international headlines. After the then 13-year-old girl made a drawing at school in which a woman and a child were threatened by missiles next to a Ukrainian flag, the school director contacted the authorities. Researchers subsequently came across critical comments from the father on the Internet about the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
The girl was then taken to a home and later placed with her mother, with whom she had not had contact for years. Moskalyov was sentenced to two years in prison in March 2023 for “denigrating” the Russian military.
Escape to Belarus
He fled to Belarus before the verdict was handed down, but was captured two days later and extradited to Russia, a non-governmental organization said. Moskalyov’s sentence was ultimately reduced on appeal. In total he spent a year and seven months in prison.
According to OWD-Info, since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, more than a thousand people have been prosecuted in Russia for criticizing the military operation.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
