A Russian man jailed for “discrediting the army” after his daughter drew a pro-Ukraine picture at school was freed on Tuesday after serving his entire prison sentence, his lawyer said.
Alexei Moskalyov, 56, was detained in April 2022 after his daughter Maria drew missiles blasting toward a Ukrainian mother and child during an art lesson.
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
Investigators later found comments critical of the army on his social media and he was sentenced in March 2023 to two years in jail, reduced by two months on appeal.
When his pre-trial detention was taken into account, Moskalyov completed his term on Tuesday.
Thousands of Russians have been arrested and jailed for breaking strict censorship laws that ban criticism of the army since the Ukraine conflict began, a crackdown that rights groups say is reminiscent of the Soviet period.
“Alexei is out. Feeling more or less himself. He finally got to see his daughter,” lawyer Vladimir Biliyenko told AFP.
Both will now return to their hometown of Yefremov in western Russia, where they will “live together again,” he added.
Moskalyov could be seen giving his daughter a tearful embrace after leaving prison, still dressed in his prison uniform, a video published by the RusNews outlet showed.
He told the OVD-Info outlet that he spent two months in an isolation cell with another inmate during his incarceration, and that “huge rats” were crawling around.
“The conditions were, to say the least, a torture chamber,” he said.
You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter
