The prosecution and conviction of Alexei Moskalyov herald a new type of Kremlin clampdown: separating families as a punishment for anti-war activism
handed down to Alexei Moskalyov on March 28th was outrageous: two years in a prison colony for posting a few anti-war comments on, which were investigated only after his daughter, Masha, made a pro-Ukrainian drawing in class. But prosecutors had signalled this was the sentence they required, and in Russia’s judicial system they were not going to be disappointed. The surprise was that the defendant was not actually in the room when the sentence was read out.
A case against Mr Moskalyov was opened when prosecutors discovered his own anti-war posts on social media. He was fined 32,000 roubles for expressing his anger over reports of Russian soldiers who had raped Ukrainian women. He tried to put a line under the incident by taking his daughter out of school and moving to another town. But just before the new year, security services again raided his home.
Mr Biliyenko said the legal process was being used to punish father and daughter for their anti-war positions. The two are very close, he said, and separation would hurt both of them: “They support each other. They are happy in each other’s company. Everything else is irrelevant for them.” A letter written by Masha from the shelter, later released by activists, emphasised the close bond. “Hi Dad,” the letter reads.
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