Head of Russian children’s hospice foundation detained for spreading ’false information’ about military

Lida Moniava, co-founder of the prominent Russian children’s hospice foundation Lighthouse, was detained on Wednesday on charges of spreading “false information” about the Russian army.

Her lawyer, Mikhail Biryukov, told the human rights group Slovo Zashchite that investigators are seeking to have her jailed pending trial. Moniava has denied the charges.

The charge stems from a post she wrote marking the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Biryukov told independent outlet Mediazona. In the post, she recounted the stories of Ukrainians killed in Russian attacks and urged people to donate to a fund supporting refugees run by Lighthouse.

In February, Moniava was fined 45,000 rubles (€445) for “discrediting” the army over three online posts, including ones about Russian strikes on Kryvyi Rih and Sumy.

Moniava has previously said she has no plans to leave Russia and intends to continue helping terminally ill children.