France has issued humanitarian visas to Alexei Moskalyov and his daughter Maria, and they have already arrived in Paris. This was reported by Ekho and Novaya Gazeta Europe.
Moskalyov first came to the attention of the security services after Maria drew an anti-war picture during a school lesson in April 2022. The drawing showed a woman with a Ukrainian flag shielding a child from Russian missiles. It also included the words “Glory to Ukraine!” and “No to war!” The school principal then filed a report with the police.
After that, Moskalyov was charged under an administrative case for “discrediting” the army and fined, and later a criminal case was opened against him. In March 2023, he was sentenced to two years in a penal colony, and in October 2024 he was released.
After his release, the Moskalyovs left for Armenia. They turned to the human rights organization inTransit for help in obtaining a German humanitarian visa. According to the rights advocates, the process was complicated by the fact that Moskalyov was not issued a Russian international passport for a long time.
“Despite the efforts of the German Foreign Ministry to fast-track the Moskalyovs’ case, Germany stopped considering applications from May 2025, and from August the procedure for German humanitarian visas under Paragraph 22.2 was effectively frozen altogether,” an inTransit coordinator said.
At the end of December 2025, according to Novaya Gazeta Europe, child welfare authorities began looking for Masha Moskalyova, and because of her anti-war Telegram channel there was a risk that a case for “discrediting” the army could be opened against her personally.
After that, the Moskalyovs asked inTransit to submit their documents to the French Foreign Ministry. Their request was approved in February, and on March 10 the family received the documents.
“They made it to Paris. We are very happy and grateful to the German Foreign Ministry, which made every possible effort to provide protection to the Moskalyovs. And to the French Foreign Ministry as well, for providing protection in this case and, more broadly, for continuing to support Russians facing political persecution. This is especially valuable against the backdrop of similar programs being shut down in other countries,” the inTransit coordinator noted.
