Ukraine war: How a Russian child's drawing sparked a police investigation

In the centre of the Russian municipality of Yefremov is simply a partition covered successful pictures of war. Giant photographs of masked Russian soldiers with guns and supersized letters Z and V - symbols of the country's alleged "special subject operation" successful Ukraine.

To teardrop the tegument from those

This is the official, patriotic representation of Russia's penetration of Ukraine.

But successful this town, 200 miles (320km) southbound of Moscow, you'll find different representation of the Ukraine war. A precise antithetic one.

Town councillor Olga Podolskaya shows maine a photograph connected her mobile phone. It's of a child's drawing. To the near is simply a Ukrainian emblem with the words "Glory to Ukraine"; connected the right, the Russian tricolour and the inscription "No to war!". As missiles alert successful from the absorption of Russia, a parent and her kid basal defiantly successful their path.

The representation was drawn successful April 2022 by 12-year-old Masha Moskaleva. Her begetter Alexei, a azygous parent, had contacted the municipality councillor for advice. He told her that aft seeing Masha's drawing, her schoolhouse had called the police.

"The constabulary started investigating Alexei's societal media," Olga tells me. "And they told him that helium was bringing up his girl successful a atrocious way."

Charges followed. For an anti-war station connected societal media, Alexei was fined 32,000 roubles (around $415 oregon £338 astatine the time) for discrediting the Russian equipped forces. A fewer weeks ago, a transgression lawsuit was opened against him. Again, anti-war posts formed the ground for discreditation charges.

This clip Alexei faces a imaginable situation sentence.

Alexei is presently nether location apprehension successful Yefremov. His girl Masha has - for present - been sent to a children's home. Alexei hasn't adjacent been allowed to talk to her connected the phone.

"No 1 has seen Masha since 1 March," Olga Podolskaya tells me, "despite our attempts to get entree to the children's location and to find retired however she is.

"The Russian authorities privation everyone to toed the line. No 1 is allowed to person their ain opinion. If you disagree with what idiosyncratic thinks, past don't work their societal media posts. But don't enactment that idiosyncratic nether location apprehension and their kid successful a children's home."

We're lasting extracurricular an flat artifact successful Yefremov. A model opens and a antheral looks out. It's Alexei. We're not allowed to pass with him. Under the rules of his location apprehension Alexei is lone permitted interaction with his lawyer, the researcher and the penitentiary service.

The lawyer, Vladimir Biliyenko, has conscionable arrived. He's travel to present nutrient and portion which section activists person bought for Alexei.

"He is precise disquieted due to the fact that his girl is not with him," Vladimir tells maine aft visiting Alexei Moskalev. "Everything successful the level reminds him of her. He's disquieted astir what whitethorn beryllium happening to her."

I inquire the lawyer wherefore helium thinks the authorities person taken Masha away.

"If they had existent questions for the father, they should person invited him to springiness a statement. They should person invited Masha, too, and spoken to her," Vladimir says.

"None of this was done. They conscionable decided to nonstop her disconnected [to the children's home]. In my opinion, if it wasn't for the benignant of administrative and transgression charges Alexei has received, this wouldn't beryllium happening. The societal services look obsessed with this family. I deliberation it's purely for governmental reasons. The family's problems lone began aft the miss drew that picture."

On the street, I inquire Alexei's neighbours what they deliberation of the situation.

"She's a bully girl, and I've ne'er had a occupation with the dad," says pensioner Angelina Ivanovna. "But I'm frightened to accidental anything. I'm frightened to."

"Perhaps we could cod signatures successful [Alexei's] support," a younger pistillate suggests. But erstwhile asked for her sentiment connected what is happening, she replies: "Sorry, I can't archer you."

I inquire if she is frightened astir imaginable consequences.

It's a abbreviated locomotion from Alexei Moskalev's flat artifact to School No. 9, wherever Masha had studied and that her begetter says called the constabulary implicit Masha's anti-war drawing. The schoolhouse has yet to respond to our written petition for comment. When we tried to visit, we were told we couldn't travel in. Our telephone calls went unanswered.

But I person visited School No. 9's website. The images determination punctual maine of the patriotic partition I saw successful the centre of town.

The location leafage features Heroes of the Special Military Operation - 2 twelve portraits of Russian soldiers who fought successful Ukraine.

There are patriotic slogans, too: "Everything for Victory. Let's enactment our lads connected the beforehand line!"

Soldiers backmost from Ukraine visited School No.9 past October. In а code that time schoolhouse manager Larisa Trofimova declared: "We judge successful ourselves and successful our Motherland, which tin ne'er marque a mistake."

Across municipality supporters of the Moskalev household and journalists are gathering astatine the section courthouse. The Yefremov Juvenile Affairs Commission is taking ineligible enactment to officially restrict Alexei's parental rights.

It's an archetypal proceeding known arsenic "a conversation" with the judge. Lawyer Vladimir Biliyenko says Alexei had wanted to beryllium present successful person. However helium hasn't been allowed to interrupt his location apprehension to travel to court, adjacent though what's astatine involvement is entree to his child.

In the courthouse corridor an activistic unfurls a poster.

"Return Masha to her father!" it declares. A constabulary serviceman tells her to instrumentality it down.

The Juvenile Affairs Commission has yet to respond to our petition to remark connected the lawsuit of Alexei Moskalev and his girl Masha.

One of Alexei's supporters, Natalya Filatova, believes the communicative of the Moskalev household reflects the crackdown connected dissent successful Russia.

"Our constitution proclaims state of speech, state of conscience, full state for citizens to explicit their opinions," Natalya tells me. "But present we're forbidden from doing that."