Gestures of female hands protected from bright sun, Ukrainian flags, Russian drones and fighter jets, and slogan: “Putin, don’t go to war.”
The paintings by Russian sixth grader Masha Moskariyoba were widely shared around the world. And that was one of the things she and her father took with them “first and foremost” when they left their hometown.
Today, Masha, now 15 years old, and her father are together, but the past few years have cost quite a bit. Alexei Moskarillov spent almost two years in prison “distrust the Russian army.”
It was also a direct result of the Kremlin’s intense oppression of those who were lost from the official narrative. Since the start of a full-scale invasion of Russia’s Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has expanded the legal tools it uses to silence those it wants.
After Moskarillov’s release, the two were able to settle in Armenia across the border, and attempted to set off for a place where Russian authorities could not reach them.
However, the fate of a single father and his daughter remains on the frontier.
Just recently, the German Federal Ministry of Interior (BMI) rejected the application for Moskarillov for a humanitarian visa.
The Armenians have been quite welcoming on their side. “Beautiful people, beautiful cities,” Alexei Moskarillov told Euroneus.
Residents of Yerevan may recognize the two at the store, he said, “The words of support are pleased that we are in a safer place than Russia.”
At the same time, concerns about their safety remain as there remains a threat to anti-war Russians in this republic of the South Caucasus.
“There are Russian military bases in Armenia,” he explained. “There have been repeated attempts to lure people who are not needed, Russian opposition parties, people who oppose Putin’s regime, and people who don’t want to be cannon fodder.”
“There were attempts to lure him in and then move him to Russia. And that was a criminal case and incarceration,” Moskaryov said.
The detention of Russian citizen Dmitry Setrakov departed for Armenia from a military base in Gyumli city, Armenia, by opposing the mobilization of his hometown carried out by Russian security forces, previously reported by Vanazunde, a human rights group Helsinki’s Civic Assembly.
This was not an isolated case.
There have been at least four similar cases since the beginning of a full-scale invasion of Russia’s Ukraine in early 2022, according to Armenian domestic media. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan criticised the Kremlin’s actions and called Setrakov’s detention a “trick.”
Even rebels who have barely lingering links with the Kremlin, find themselves in a transport country, often fear the possibility of extradition to Russia.
This is why Moskarillov applied for a so-called “humanitarian visa” in Germany, hoping to start a new life.
Unlike political asylum, this type of permit allows them to work quickly and pay taxes. This is an argument in favour of their further integration.
“Admission is almost suspended.”
Upon request, a spokesperson for the German Federal Ministry of Interior (BMI) told Euronows that despite not commenting on the individual cases, the current government could confirm that it “s aiming to end federal admissions programs as voluntarily as possible.”
The spokesman said “until a decision is made, admission under §22 sentence 2 of the Residence Act, which allows admission for political reasons, has been largely suspended.”
This means that new admission is generally not permitted and no visas have been issued. However, while emergency cases still may be approved, there are no fixed rules for what counts as exceptions. However, this decision is entirely up to the province.
Moskaryov says he was shocked when he learned that Germany had stopped issuing and approving humanitarian visas.
“We have turned to countries related to democracy, freedom of speech. We have not sought help from the oppression that persecutes me and my daughter, to the protection of the tyranny that is happening in my country,” he emphasized.
German Libeko Director Marco Fever – a partnership for human rights, an NGO committed to protecting human rights in Belarus and Ukraine, has been called a ministry statement sent to Euroneus “absurdly”.
“The BMI reasoning that exceptions are made only in ‘special individual cases’ is ridiculous considering the procedures that have been applied so far to those affected by Belarus,” he told Euroneus.
“In the past, these were decisions of individual cases that were always in close contact with German authorities. Still, nothing actually happened in the two cases we currently handle for months.
“There is no way for Russians to obtain other protections in Germany, because they cannot legally apply for German political asylum. That is, by closing the 22.2 paragraph for Russians, Germany can gain all kinds of protection.”
Despite suspension of humanitarian hospitalization under §22.2, Russian citizens retain the fundamental right to seek asylum in Germany, as guaranteed by the country’s basic law.
The process of seeking asylum is complicated and can include challenges such as long waiting periods, limited access to employment during the application process, and potential difficulties in proof of the basis of persecution.
“We will not give you peace for the rest of your life.”
Returning to Russia is out of trouble for Moskarillov and his daughter. During Moskarillov’s final questioning in the prison colony, FSB officials told him that he “don’t leave him alone” after he was released.
“You are now on our radar for the rest of your life. We come to you and visit you frequently, we will call you for questions, we will monitor you with your account and who will you deal with… We will not give you peace for the rest of your life,” recalled Moscarillov.
After leaving prison, he had no idea to leave Russia anytime soon. However, the next day, a neighbor called him and said that police tried to break into his and Masha’s home while the two were in the supermarket, and he realized that the threat had come true.
Human rights activists he knew gave Moskarillov clear advice.
“This is not the way you fight a dictatorship.”
The coordinator of the German-based human rights initiative Intransit also expressed a “deep shock” to closure of the programme for Russians and Belarusians.
“This is not the way you fight a dictatorship,” they say, “closing this program is a catastrophe,” as people have to wait about two years for their visas. Meanwhile, they will be detained and imprisoned, the coordinator told EuroNews.
“We advocate for the resumption of the Moscarillov family and all other programs currently in the process of meeting the program criteria.
The coordinator argued that the standards could be tightened further, adding that “in recent years they have already limited the German protection to the point of getting through the needle’s eyes.”
Intransit has confirmed that around 300 applications are currently in range.
“If Germany shuts down this program, the political goals declared by German politicians opposed to the current war in Russia and Ukraine would lose much of their meaning,” Intonsitt Kordinater concluded.
French alternatives
For now, Intransit, an organization working to support Moskarillov, said, “I don’t think Germany can simply change all the responsibility to protect Russians persecuted by other countries such as France, so I am not going to look for another host country for Alexay and Masha.”
Intransit cited the possibility of a closure of French alternative programs, or a “possible to two years” waiting times, among further reasons for this decision.
Activists working in various countries welcome the fact that France accepts Russian opposition, but Paris at the same time tightens its general migration policy and, like other European countries, is wary of Kremlin interference.
France has declined 1,200 visas and certification requests since early 2022, citing the fear of espionage, according to Le Monde.
Those who were rejected by the application include diplomats, businessmen, meeting participants, visitors to cultural events, and those who applied as journalists.
French authorities also recognize that due to a lack of experienced personnel, Moscow is not protected by “illicitors”, diplomatic immunity, and is increasingly dependent on agents working abroad under fake names on long-term missions.
While the number of asylum requests in France fell 44% in 2024 compared to 2023, demand for humanitarian visas has not decreased.
“People who were unable to legalize (their position) in other countries such as Serbia, Georgia, Spain, etc., have turned to France, where there is a high possibility of legalization during the entire period of full-scale Russian invasion and oppression.”
Prokopyeva explained that one of the main reasons why Russians seek political asylum in France is their escape or conscientious objection to military service.
“This is probably related to a rather low percentage of approvals, because these are complex cases,” human rights activists noted.
“As far as we know, many people are forced to appeal the French authorities’ decisions through courts,” she added.
She was punished by her children for “can’t lie.”
Natalia Taranshenko, a teacher in the Moscow region, received a French humanitarian visa.
She was convicted of her absence after telling the truth to the eighth graders about the massive murders committed by Russian troops in Bucha during the so-called “kindness,” the forced rank of Russia today.
Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, repeatedly called the Bucha genocide, as “fake attacks” staged by Western or Ukrainian authorities, despite never providing evidence to support their claims.
Investigations, including those by the United Nations, document mass murders during the occupation of Russia’s Kiev suburbs early in the early stages of a full-scale invasion.
As many as 458 residents were killed, many were executed at close range, tortured, tortured, raped or burned, often carried out in so-called “cleansing” tactics.
Taranshenko knew that students might report her to authorities, but she said “can’t lie to the 8th graders.”
Two parents of school children wrote accusations of the teachers. She was charged last year and fled to Armenia like Moskarillov. She was detained at the airport as she was about to leave the country for Montenegro.
After several NGOs filed her lawsuit and refused to hand over her to Armenia, she was able to depart for France, where she currently lives.
“I feel pain and shame in my country, and my profession is also a thing of the past. Now I am among the human rights advocates.
Despite Taranushenko’s positive experience, “immigration) is being perceived very negatively by EU citizens and authorities,” Dmitry Zakhvatov of NGO Action4Life told Euronows.
“The only guarantee that this trend will be stopped is the restoration of democracy in both Belarus and Russia,” he explained.
Otherwise, “the conflict will intensify,” Zakvatov said, referring to the fact that the Russian regime is building foreign policy solely on conflict with its neighbors and other countries.
“Conflict is the only way this regime can survive. It simply doesn’t know how to survive in any other way,” Zakhvatov concluded.