Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has interrogated two children -- a 9-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy -- while investigating a criminal case related to their mother's alleged defamation of the Russian military.
The Russian online journal Kholod reported on August 17 that the two children were summoned for questioning as part of the investigation into their mother, Lidia Prudovskaya, who has been charged with repeatedly "discrediting" the country's armed forces on social media.
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The children were interrogated separately on July 31 in the presence of a psychologist and a social services representative for 15 minutes each. Prudovskaya was not permitted to be in attendance while her children were questioned, according to Kholod.
The charges against Prudovskaya, an attorney from the northwestern Arkhangelsk region, are related to 11 posts she allegedly made on VK, a Russian networking site that resembles Facebook. Prudovskaya's VK posts were reportedly only accessible to friends and included the text of criticisms of Russia's war in Ukraine made during a concert by the Russian popstar Zemfira.
Zemfira was quoted as saying that "Russia is destroying Ukraine and itself" and calling the war "absolutely senseless and cruel." She also said in her comments, believed to have been made during a concert in London in November 2022, that "right now, my country is destroying Ukraine and itself."
According to Prudovskaya's case file, philologist Natalia Khokhlova described Zemfira's comments as “distinguished by cruelty, heartlessness, and ruthlessness" and made without "reasonable grounds.”
Prudovskaya is also accused of posting comments made by Russian politician Leonid Gozman about Russian attacks on Kyiv. Gozman left Russia in September after serving two consecutive 15-day jail terms on charges of "equating" Soviet-era Russia with Nazi Germany.
Prudovskaya faces up to five years in prison if found guilty of the charges. Under Russian law, having children under the age of 14 can be considered grounds for delaying prison sentences.