07/11/2025
This 7-year-old girl was one of five children arrested by Russian police along with their mothers after the group attempted to leave flowers and child-made signs reading "No War" outside of the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow nearly three years ago. The children and their mothers were daring to speak out about their country's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, an invasion which has now led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. They were taken away in a police van and detained at a nearby police station, where the officers reportedly shouted threats at the women that their children would be taken away and they would lose their parental rights; what ultimately happened to them is unknown.
At the time of Russia's invasion in 2022, thousands of Russian citizens dared to speak out at great risk to themselves; this courageous child was among the more than 6,000 Russians who were arrested within the first few days of the war. Following the invasion, Russia passed a new media suppression law, an extension of their pre-existing 'fake news laws,' a type of anti-free speech law beloved by many dictators which allows a central government to ban the dissemination of any information it deems "unreliable" or "fake." These laws criminalized the spread of what the government considers to be "false information" and violators face possible prison sentences of up to 15 years.
As a result of these repressive laws, multiple Russian independent media outlets were forced to shut down and numerous journalists fled the country. The crackdown on the media corresponds with a similar crackdown on public protest; within weeks of the invasion, nearly 15,000 Russians were detained for protesting the war, including for such acts as simply holding a blank sign in public. According to Amnesty International, Russia's extreme state oppression and its repression of basic civil rights have made it virtually impossible today for Russians to even peacefully protest without facing immediate arrest and imprisonment.
Russia stands as a stark warning to democracies worldwide. When leaders attack independent courts, vilify journalists as "enemies of the people," and consolidate power by firing officials who refuse to pledge personal loyalty, the descent into authoritarianism accelerates. The Russian experience shows how quickly fundamental rights vanish when democratic guardrails fail -- from criminalizing dissent to detaining children holding peace signs. This pattern of undermining institutions, dismissing election results, glorifying strongman tactics, and establishing militarized enforcement agencies with expanded powers to detain citizens without oversight doesn't just threaten abstract principles; it leads directly to human suffering and international aggression. No democracy, regardless of its historical strength, is immune to this dangerous transformation.
To fight back against the dangerous slide toward authoritarianism in the U.S. under the Trump administration, you can support the critical work of Protect Democracy at https://protectdemocracy.org/
To learn more about Russia's persecution of those who have protested the war, visit OVD-Info, the Russian human rights group which tracks which tracks such repression, visit https://ovd.info/en/front
----
For books for tweens and teens about girls living under real-life authoritarian regimes throughout history that will help them appreciate how precious democracy truly is, visit our blog post "The Fragility of Freedom: Mighty Girl Books About Life Under Authoritarianism" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=32426
For several powerful books about past Russian invasions and occupations told through the experience of teen girls, we highly recommend "The Endless Steppe" (https://www.amightygirl.com/the-endless-steppe) and "Words on Fire" (https://www.amightygirl.com/words-on-fire), both for ages 10 and up, and "Between Shades of Gray" for ages 13 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/between-shades-of-gray)
There is also a moving memoir by a 12-year-old Ukrainian girl about living through the Russian invasion: "You Don't Know What War Is: The Diary of a Young Girl from Ukraine" at https://amzn.to/4hGd6Oy
For books for children and teens about the importance of standing up for truth, decency, and justice, even in dark times, visit our blog post, "Dissent Is Patriotic: 50 Books About Women Who Fought for Change," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=14364
For both fictional and biographical books for children and teens that star courageous girls and women, visit our "Courage & Bravery" section at https://amgrl.co/2IUVSzW
To stay connected with A Mighty Girl, you can sign-up for our free weekly email newsletter at https://www.amightygirl.com/forms/newsletter
