Russia says it has detained children’s hospice founder Lida Moniava
Russia’s Investigative Committee, of the aggressor state, said it had detained Lida Moniava, the founder of a children’s hospice. She has been charged with allegedly spreading false information about the actions of the Russian military against Ukraine’s civilian population.
Charges over Telegram posts
As The Jerusalem Post reports, Moniava publicly criticized Russia’s war against Ukraine on Telegram, calling it a crime that must end.
In a statement, Russia’s Investigative Committee claimed that she had disseminated knowingly false information via the messenger, presented as reliable reports about the actions of the Russian Armed Forces against Ukraine’s civilian population. According to the agency, Moniava did not admit guilt during questioning.
Earlier in 2026, Moniava was already fined on charges of so-called discrediting the army. At the time, she said on Telegram that she could not leave the country because of the risk of further persecution, as this could affect children who need palliative care. At the same time, she stressed that she could not remain silent about the war.
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Charity organization’s statement
Moniava is the founder of Lighthouse, a charitable organization that provides hospice care to children and young people in Moscow and the surrounding region. Representatives of the organization said they were awaiting information about its founder and intended to continue operating as usual.
After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian authorities intensified the persecution of dissenters and introduced laws providing for lengthy prison terms for so-called discrediting of the army or spreading allegedly false information about it.
Human rights defenders’ data
According to calculations by the Russian human rights group OVD-Info, more than 1,380 people have faced criminal prosecution for expressing anti-war views since the start of the full-scale war. About 350 of them are currently in prison or in pretrial detention.
