A 12-year-old’s antiwar drawing sent her father to Russian prison. Three years later, they’re starting over in Paris after a stalled bid for asylum in Germany.

An antiwar drawing submitted by Alexei Moskalev's twelve-year-old daughter led to his conviction and imprisonment in Russia. Per Meduza, Moskalev was released in twenty twenty-four, and the two fled to Armenia together. They applied for a German humanitarian visa, but Germany shut down that program for Russians in twenty twenty-five after more than a year of waiting. France granted them political asylum on July 17th. In an interview, Moskalev recalled learning the news: he was at home making soup and dumplings when his daughter Masha texted him. Now they're adjusting to Paris, where Masha is preparing for her lycée entrance exam in August, and Moskalev is navigating the paperwork to reunite with the family's dog, Molya, who remains with a foster family in Yerevan.

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