Ukraine war
Daughter painted anti-war picture: Russian arrested after escape
Two years in a prison camp await the 54-year-old Russian (symbol image). photo
© Matthias Tödt/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
A 54-year-old Russian has been convicted of criticizing the war against Ukraine. Even before the verdict was announced, the man managed to escape – to Belarus.
A father who was sentenced to two years in a prison camp and whose daughter painted an anti-war picture has been arrested while trying to escape. The man was arrested in the ex-Soviet republic of Belarus “at the request of the Russian police,” the Interior Ministry in Minsk said, according to the RBK portal.
The 54-year-old was sentenced to two years in a prison camp by a Russian court on Wednesday. Belarus, as Russia’s closest ally – both countries form a union state – is likely to extradite the man.
Escaped from house arrest
Officially, the allegations against the man revolve around critical entries on social networks. According to the prosecutor, he had “repeatedly discredited” the Russian troops fighting in Ukraine. The defendant denied the allegations and fled house arrest before sentencing.
For the single father there is a wave of solidarity in Russia. Even the head of Wagner’s private army, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had demanded that the daughter and father, who were currently living in the home, be left alone. Due to the many Russian war casualties in Ukraine, there are already so many children who have to grow up without a father. In contrast, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov publicly questioned the man’s educational abilities. The media, on the other hand, published a letter from the girl who expressed her love for her father and hoped to be together soon.
A drawing by the daughter got the case rolling. When the teacher asked the children to draw pictures in support of Russian forces in Ukraine, the then 12-year-old drew a Russian and Ukrainian flag, which she captioned the slogans “No to war” and “Glory to Ukraine.” The school called the police.
A day later, the father was taken to the police station and fined him. When his daughter’s comments critical of the war also appeared on the Internet in the winter, the authorities searched his home and initiated criminal proceedings against him.