Russian Police Arrest Five Children After Floral Tribute at Ukrainian Embassy...

Five Children Aged 7 to 11 and Two Guardians Detained in Moscow, Russia

Russian police detained young children for attempting to lay flowers in front of Ukraine./Photo by Aleksandra Arkhipova, captured from Facebook.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Russian police detained five children aged 7 to 11 and their two guardians for attempting to lay flowers while shouting "No War" in front of the Ukrainian embassy.

According to the American news weekly Newsweek on the 1st (local time), Alexandra Arkhipova, a lecturer at a Russian state university, posted an article titled "Children, War, and Police Cars" on her Facebook, stating, "On March 1st, the children were all detained after going to lay flowers at the Ukrainian embassy."

On that day, the children visited the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow, the capital of Russia, holding handmade placards with the phrase "нет война" (which means "No War" in Russian) and laid flowers as part of a peaceful protest. However, Russian police detained the children and their two parents.

Russian police detained young children for attempting to lay flowers in front of Ukraine./Photo by Aleksandra Arkhipova, Facebook capture.

Arkhipova released a video showing the children trembling in fear while detained. In the video, a child wearing a yellow hat is seen crying while asking an adult behind the bars of the police transport vehicle when they will be released, being comforted with "It will be okay."

Arkhipova appealed for urgent help from the community, media, and human rights activists, saying, "The police confiscated the parents' mobile phones. The police also told the parents that they would soon lose their parental rights."

After this information spread through social media, Nika Melozekova, editor of The New Voice of Ukraine, criticized the arrests on her social media, asking, "Why are children being arrested?" In a follow-up post, she raised her voice, saying, "Russian President Putin is at war with children," and "Just as his missiles have fallen on kindergartens and orphanages in Ukraine, Russia is the same," adding, "Young children spent a night behind bars because of 'NO TO WAR' posters."

Meanwhile, Arkhipova later reported that "everyone has been released," but added that they would face court trials. The specific charges against the children have not been disclosed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.