Fears are growing for a Russian girl who was taken away from her father after taking an anti-war photo at school. The single father is now missing after escaping house arrest under Vladimir Putin’s regime.
Alexei Moskalyov, 54, escaped on Tuesday after being sentenced to two years in prison for “discrediting” the Russian military after his online activities were investigated by police in the small town of Yefremov, south of Moscow.
His 13-year-old daughter Maria was taken from him earlier this month and placed in a local children’s home. The pair had no contact and their lawyers were now worried about her uncertain future.
Moskalyov came to the attention of authorities last April after the then 12-year-old Maria took a photo at school showing Russian missiles raining down on a Ukrainian mother and child.
Following international condemnation, the Kremlin has today upheld what many have seen as Moskalyov’s harsh condemnation, denouncing his “deplorable parentage.”
Fears are growing for 13-year-old Maria Moskalyova, a Russian girl who was taken away from her father after taking an anti-war photo at school
Single father Alexei Moskalyov, 54, escaped Tuesday after receiving a two-year prison sentence for ‘discrediting’ the Russian military
But, in a bizarre twist, Moskalyov’s conviction was struck down by the boss of the dreaded Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is traditionally close to Putin.
In a surprise intervention, Prigozhin, founder of Wagner’s private army fighting for Russia in Ukraine, called the verdict “unfair, especially considering that his daughter Masha will be forced to grow up in an orphanage.”
Prigozhin even asked the prosecution to review the verdict, and also requested lawyers associated with Wagner to work with Moskalyov’s defense.
Moskalyov’s lawyer Vladimir Biliyenko said he was in favor of both requests, even though he was unsure of Prigozhin’s motives. “I am willing to accept any help that will help my client,” he said.
Later on Wednesday, Prigozhin angrily rejected the idea that he was motivated by “political ambitions” in a short expletive audio message.
The case has garnered international attention as Moscow cracks down on any dissent as Putin’s forces wage a brutal war in Ukraine.
Moskalyov’s lawyer Vladimir Biliyenko said he did not know where his client was and was denied access to Maria, but was given drawings by her.
He also confirmed the authenticity of a letter from Maria to her father published on social media.
In a bizarre twist, the verdict against Moskalyov was struck down by the boss of the dreaded Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin
“I love you very much and know that you are not guilty of anything,” the letter read.
“Everything will be fine and we will be together. You are my hero,” it said.
She called him “the bravest person in the world.”
Biliyenko said it was now “difficult to predict” what will happen to Maria, with a court due to rule on April 6 on limiting the parental rights of the 54-year-old father.
“We will do everything possible to defend (Moskalyov) against these allegations,” the lawyer said.
He criticized Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova and Law Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova for not getting involved in the case.
“A child’s fate is decided here and they are not interested,” he said.
A local rights activist, Yelena Agafonova, has said she was willing to take the girl in.
Moskalyov looks out the window of his flat after being placed under house arrest (dated March 23)
“We will apply for custody of Masha (a diminutive of Maria), we are preparing the documents,” she told reporters.
She believed the case was a “showcase to show what will happen to those who disagree” with the Moscow Ukraine campaign.
The Russian human rights organization Memorial, which has been shut down by Russian authorities, said it considers Moskalyov a “political prisoner.”
Maria, or Masha as she is known, took a pro-peace photo last April.
The principal of her school called the police, who began investigating and fined her father for comments critical of the Russian military.
He was then investigated for a second time last December on suspicion of discrediting the armed forces, a crime under laws passed shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine last year.
Vladimir Bilyenko, Alexei Moskalyov’s lawyer. Biliyenko said it was now “difficult to predict” what will happen to Maria
Moskalyov’s current whereabouts are unknown. A human rights lawyer, Dmitry Zakhvatov, said Wednesday that Moskalyov had contacted him and sent him a copy of a letter Masha had written to him from the children’s home where she has lived since early March.
“Hi Dad, I really ask you not to get sick and not to worry. Everything is fine with me, I love you very much and know that you are not guilty of anything. I am always on your side and everything you do is right,” she wrote.
The letter, neatly written on lined paper, ended with “I love you” in English, and the words “you are a hero” in a crudely drawn heart.
The prosecutor’s office in Tula, south of Moscow, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Prigozhin’s request and on the investigation into Moskalyov’s escape.