Soviet and Russian punk rock band Наив (NAIV) used a few minutes of their 35th-anniversary concert last Saturday (April 15) in Moscow to raise attention to the case of Masha Moskaleva, a 13-year-old girl whose father was arrested last month after she drew a poster for an art class protesting Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Masha was placed into state custody before she was taken in by her estranged mother.
The band's frontman Alexander "Chacha" Ivanov walked out in a t-shirt with the girl's name written in bold white letters and said that his relationship with his children had caused Masha's case to spark his outrage. "Perhaps because my daughter is also the same age as her — she is 14, and Masha is 13," he said. "Friends, I want to ask you: Google this case, find out what happened there, and be horrified by what happened to Masha and her family for the picture she drew in the art lesson." In response to Ivanov's speech, the crowd clapped and yelled "fuck war!"
Last year, Masha Moskaleva, a fifth-grade student at the time, drew a picture of a woman and child between Russian and Ukrainian flags, with Russian missiles heading to Ukraine's end. The drawing read "Glory to Ukraine" and "No to war." The police were called and her father, Alexey Moskaleva, was put under watch for "poor parenting." Alexey Moskaleva, who was raising Masha alone, was arrested this past March and received a two-year prison sentence for discrediting the army.
This story was originally reported by Zona Media and translated from Russian.