March 22, 2023

Masha, The War Criminal


Masha, The War Criminal
Maria Lvova-Belova (center), wanted for the abduction of children in Ukraine by the Hague, stands in a forest surrounded by her children and her priest husband. Krogel Maciej, Twitter.

A recent arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) targetted not just President Vladimir Putin, but also Maria "Masha" Lvova-Belova, the Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights. As with Putin, the 38-year-old was indicted by the ICC for her role in deporting children from Ukraine, which is a violation of international law and an act of genocide

But who is she?

Lvova-Belova was originally a guitar teacher in schools in her native Penza. At 19, she married programmer-turned-priest Pavel Kogelman in order to have a large family. According to Lvova-Belova, she would not go on more than one date with a man who wanted less than three children.

She then became involved in NGOs helping orphans and opened rehabilitation centers for persons with disabilities. During that time, she began adopting multiple children while birthing five of her own. She and her husband currently have 22 children. Her philanthropic endeavors caught the attention — and money — of the Orthodox Church, the state, oligarchs like Roman Abramovich, and, more importantly, Putin. However, as her political fame grew, reports emerged that people staying in her facilities with severe disabilities were hidden from authorities and some even died due to a lack of proper care.

In March 2022, "Masha" made it clear that Ukrainian orphans would be — illegally, it should be noted — sent to Russia. Children from Donetsk and Luhansk were the first victims of the deportation, which later was extended to all occupied regions. Ukrainian kids and teenagers have been relocated and forcibly adopted by Russian families. Lvova-Belova herself appropriated a teenager from Mariupol, 15-year-old Fillip.

Lvova-Belova has personally accompanied the abductions, and Putin has forcibly imposed Russian citizenship on the victims. Lvova-Belova has also received deported children dressed in Russian folk costumes and insisted: "We receive you like this because now you are ours."

The Ukrainian government website Children of War estimates that over 16,000 children have been abducted into Russia. Only 307 have been returned.

You Might Also Like

Forced Integration, Continued
  • July 17, 2022

Forced Integration, Continued

Russia's streamlined passport process, offered to residents of Kherson and Zaporizhia, has been expanded to include all Ukrainian citizens. 
An Imposed Russian Birthright
  • June 20, 2022

An Imposed Russian Birthright

Children born in the Ukrainian city of Kherson will now receive Russian citizenship, whether they want it or not.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955