"We are now officially under the protection of the French state": Masha Moskaleva commented on receiving political asylum
“Overall, the process went quite smoothly and without any major complications,” said Olga, Masha Moskaleva “Not Moscow”. - We [my father and I] have received permanent status in France and are now officially under the protection of the French state.
According to her, her application for political asylum was processed for about four months. The official letter confirming the positive decision is already in hand.
Masha is currently learning French and preparing to enter the lyceum, which is scheduled for September.
“I still plan to connect my life with social and political activities,” She shared her plans. "It's very important for me to speak openly about political repression in Russia and continue to raise these issues. I consider this my most important task."
She also began working on a book about the development of human thinking.
The Moskalevs gained widespread notoriety in April 2022, when staff at a Tula school filed a complaint against Masha's drawing during art class. The teacher and principal disapproved of the sixth-grader's depiction of a woman with a Ukrainian flag shielding a child from missiles incoming from Russia.
For this, she and her father were taken to the police station and charged with "discrediting" the army. In December 2022 Alexey Moskalov He was taken away for interrogation and beaten. Masha spent the night in a shelter.
In 2023, the father was sentenced to two years in prison for repeated "discrediting" of the army. After his release in October 2024, he left Russia with his daughter.
The Moskalovs initially planned to leave for Germany, but the country froze the issuance of humanitarian visas. After Russian child protection authorities began searching for Masha, the family requested support from the French government and moved to Paris in March 2026.
Alexey Moskalov spoke about Russian prisons and his new life in exile. hereThe story of persecution through the eyes of Masha here.
