A Russian man convicted of discrediting the military has been released from prison after serving 22 months, according to a group that monitors political detentions. Alexei Moskalyov was found guilty in March 2023 based on social media posts that came to light after his 13-year-old daughter created a drawing at school criticizing Russia's military actions in Ukraine.
Moskalyov was initially sentenced to two years in prison but fled. He was apprehended in Belarus the following day and extradited back to Russia. Subsequently, a court reduced his sentence to a year and 10 months.
The monitoring group, OVD-Info, reported Moskalyov's release and revealed that he informed them about being questioned by agents of the Federal Security Service. It was suggested that they were investigating potential new charges against him by interrogating other inmates in his unit.
Following Russia's military intervention in Ukraine in February 2022, the country has taken a strict stance against dissent regarding the military and the operation in Ukraine. In August, as part of a large-scale prisoner exchange with Western nations, several prominent critics of the conflict, including one individual sentenced to 25 years in prison, were released and deported from Russia.
