War against Ukraine: Russian retains custody – despite anti-war image

Status: 04/21/2023 4:25 p.m

The father in Russia, separated from his daughter because of a Ukraine drawing, retains custody. But he remains in custody. The case had attracted international attention.

A father separated from his child in Russia because of a Ukraine drawing by his daughter retains custody. However, he remains in prison.

A lawsuit seeking to remove Alexey Moskalyov from custody of his 13-year-old daughter Maria has been withdrawn by the authorities, his lawyer Vladimir Bilenko told AFP. “The proceedings are closed. Alexej retains his parental rights.”

Moskalyov’s whereabouts unclear

The case of the single father and 13-year-old Maria from Jefremov, 300 kilometers south of Moscow, made international headlines. After the girl made a drawing at school of a woman and a child being threatened by rockets next to a Ukrainian flag, the school’s principal contacted the authorities.

Investigators then came across the father’s critical comments on the Internet about the Russian offensive in Ukraine. The girl was then placed in a home, and in March her father was sentenced to two years in prison for “denigrating” the Russian army. Moskalyov fled to Belarus before the verdict was announced, but was caught two days later and extradited to Russia, according to an NGO.

Maria has since been placed with her mother, with whom she had not had any contact for years. It is unclear where Moskalyov is now. His lawyer said he had not yet been able to obtain information about the whereabouts of his detained client.

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