Child who drew an anti-war picture stuck in shelter, her father deprived of parental privileges

Masha Moskaleva, from the city of Yefremov in Russia’s Tula region, was sent to a social rehabilitation center after her father, Alexey Moskalev, was arrested for “discrediting” the army. The shelter told a correspondent from the online publication 7×7 that she will not be released.

In April 2022, Masha drew an anti-war picture in school art class. The teacher had asked students to draw pictures in support of Russia’s troops in Ukraine.

Svetlana Davydova, the head of Yefremov’s commission for juvenile affairs, told Russian state broadcasting company RBC that her department filed a lawsuit in January to limit the parental rights of Moskaleva’s father, as well as her mother, who lives in a different city. Davydova claims that the family has been on a register of “families in socially dangerous situations” since 2022.

Alexey Moskalev’s lawyer says that he was never notified of the lawsuit. The attorney says he has sent complaints to the Prosecutor General and the local ombudsman regarding violations of the father’s and daughter’s rights:

Alexey is under house arrest. According to the court order, he’s allowed contact only with his lawyer, an investigator, and anyone who lives in the apartment, which is only Masha. My client is out of food, I live [far away], an investigator won’t bring him food, and they won’t release Masha […] even though she has a constitutional right to live with her father. Even if a neighbor drops off food, this will be considered a violation of the terms of house arrest, and could risk returning [Alexey] to jail.