Moskaliov case, in Russia: the little girl in the hands of social services and the father on the run

Alexei Moskaliov in the Yefremov courtroom on March 27, 2023. AP

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1 min

This is one of the many consequences of the war in Ukraine: those Russians condemned by the justice of their country for criticizing the offensive. This is what happened to Alexei Moskaliov, sentenced to two years in prison for "discrediting the Russian army". This father managed to disappear into the wild before the judgment was announced. But her 13-year-old daughter is in the hands of social services. She sent him a letter.

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The letter is published on the Telegram account of Alexei Moskaliov's lawyer, at the latter's request. "You are my hero (...) Dad, I'm fine (...) I know you have nothing to reproach yourself (...) I know you won't give in, you're strong, we're strong," the teenager wrote to her father, who raised her alone and is now considered a fugitive by the authorities.

Alexey Moskaliov was placed under house arrest on 1 March. His daughter had been placed in a home and deprived of any contact with him. The case began when the schoolgirl drew a drawing in class showing missiles heading at a woman and a child with a Ukrainian flag. The school's principal immediately alerted the police.

During the investigation, authorities say they found online publications by Moskalyov that fall under the law punishing discrediting the army. The teenager, placed under guardianship, could be sent to an orphanage within a month, according to her lawyer.

Next Monday, the court could decide to definitively deprive Alexey Moskaliov of his parental authority. The Kremlin seems to have already decided: it accuses him of "fulfilling his parental obligations in a deplorable way".

►To read: Russia: a father tried for criticism of the offensive in Ukraine and separated from his daughter because of a drawing

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