Moskalyov was sentenced to prison in March for allegedly “discrediting the Russian army”. According to his own statements, he has not had any contact with his daughter since then. However, Russia has suspended the death penalty. The last time a convict was executed was in 1996.
The affair began after Moskalyov’s teenage daughter showed an anti-war photo at school. Shortly after the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, sixth grader Masha was assigned to draw a drawing in support of Russian soldiers at school. Instead, however, the child painted victims of the Ukrainian war – and reportedly wrote the words “No to war” and “Glory to Ukraine” on the image. The director then called the police.
A day later, his father was taken to the police station for the first time, where he was fined for “discrediting” the Russian army. This was officially justified at the time with comments that Moskalyov had written on social media. The apartment was searched in the winter and criminal investigations were launched. In March 2023, the verdict was reached after just one session.
After the court rejected the defense’s appeal on Monday, Judge Andrei Sikachev toughened the sentence by banning the prisoner from using the Internet while in detention.