A Russian woman who was charged in absentia for “discrediting” the Russian army for sharing anti-war posts on Russian social media platform VK has been deprived of parental rights to her 12-year-old adopted son.
Lidiya Prudovskaya. Photo: social media
Lidiya Prudovskaya, who left the country with her children in March, told Novaya Gazeta Europe on Monday that the guardianship authorities of Russia’s northwestern Arkhangelsk region, where Prudovskaya is from, unilaterally terminated the foster family agreement.
The authorities removed Prudovskaya from her duties as a guardian in April of this year, she said, though her lawyer was only informed of the decision in August.
In June 2023, a criminal case had been opened against Prudovskaya after a local resident complained to authorities about her anti-war posts on social media. Prudovskaya was summoned by Russia’s Investigative Committee for questioning the following month, along with her son and daughter, 10 and 9 years old at the time, who were reportedly asked to testify against their mother.
A court in the city of Mirny in the Arkhangelsk region was considering Prudovskaya’s case when she decided to flee Russia with her children in early March, despite being forbidden to leave the country. On 19 March, the court issued a warrant for her arrest.
Prudovskaya is currently in a country with her children that is safe for persecuted Russians. If she were to return to Russia, Prudovskaya’s adopted son would most likely be removed from the family and sent to an orphanage.
