Throughout everything we have endured, Masha has remained true to the values I tried to teach her from childhood: honesty, compassion, courage and the determination to speak the truth, even when doing so comes at a terrible personal cost,
Alexei Moskalyov said in a statement.
Alexei Moskalyov and his teenage daughter Maria have been awarded the 2026 Magnitsky Human Rights Award in recognition of their prolonged confrontation with Russian state prosecution over an anti-war drawing.
The organization behind the annual honor announced Thursday that the pair received the “Courage Under Fire” prize for refusing to remain silent after state authorities targeted them over Maria’s artwork.
Masha and Alexey Moskalev to Receive Sergei Magnitsky Award in London The father and daughter have become laureates of the international human rights award in the "Courage Under Fire" category. The award is presented to individuals who stand up against human rights violations… pic.twitter.com/x5hPTRpg9w
Russian Court Sentences Father After Daughter Draws Anti-War Picture
The legal case against the family began in 2022 when Maria, who was 12 years old at the time, drew a picture at her school depicting Ukrainian mothers shielding their children from incoming Russian missiles.
Russian authorities initially placed Maria in a state orphanage before transferring her to live with her estranged mother.
The organization behind the annual honor said the Moskalyovs received the “Courage Under Fire” award for their refusal to remain silent in the face of state prosecution.https://t.co/0LGTKnsJEa
In 2023, a Russian court sentenced Alexei Moskalyov to two years in prison on charges of “discrediting” the Russian military.
French Immigration Authorities Grant Political Asylum to Fleeing Family
Following his release from prison in October 2024, Moskalyov reunited with his daughter. Despite the conclusion of his prison sentence, local law enforcement maintained pressure on the family through repeated police searches at their home.
Faced with ongoing harassment, Moskalyov and Maria fled Russia and ultimately traveled to France, where immigration authorities granted them political asylum.
The Magnitsky Human Rights Awards were established to honor journalists, activists, and public figures who take significant personal risks to confront authoritarian governments. The awards are named in memory of Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who died in a Moscow prison in 2009 after uncovering a major state tax fraud scheme.
