Masha Moskalyova case

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In April 2022, a sixth‑grader named Masha Moskalyova from Yefremov drew an anti‑war picture in class. Her drawing showed missiles toward Ukraine and included both countries’ flags and messages that blamed the war on leaders in Russia. The scene caused a big reaction at school, and the police were called.

The next day, Masha and her father, Aleksey Moskalyov, were taken to the police. Officials said the problem was Aleksey’s posts on social media, not the drawing by his daughter. Later, armed security officers tried to persuade Masha to support the war. In December 2022, their apartment was searched, money and belongings were taken, and Aleksey was detained. Masha was sent to a local children’s care facility.

In early 2023, a local Juvenile Commission moved to limit the parents’ rights. In March, Aleksey was detained again and placed under house arrest. Masha lost contact with her father.

On March 27–28, 2023, Aleksey was quickly tried and sentenced to two years in prison, with a three‑year ban on internet use and the computer taken away for the state. The court also placed Masha under social services care. A crowd supportive of the war attended the court, and Aleksey did not attend his own sentencing.

In March and April 2023, human rights groups called Aleksey a political prisoner. Masha wrote messages to her father from the shelter, saying she loved him and believed in him. Aleksey was later detained in Minsk, extradited back to Russia, and his location after that was not clear. Masha’s mother temporarily took her from the shelter.

In 2024, after a retrial with new assessments, Aleksey’s sentence was reduced to about 1 year and 10 months, and he was released in October. The case began with Masha’s anti‑war drawing, but the first formal charge came from a social media post attributed to Aleksey. Some witnesses could not clearly recall the posts. International groups criticized the case as punishing a family for politics.

Because of threats from security services, the Moskalyovs left Russia and moved to Armenia. In 2025, Germany said it would pause humanitarian admission procedures.