Russian authorities close criminal case against children’s hospice founder Lida Moniava

Russian investigators have terminated the criminal proceeding against Lida Moniava, the prominent founder of the Moscow-based hospice charity Lighthouse, citing a lack of prosecutorial grounds. Moniava was detained on September 2 and charged with disseminating “false information” about the Russian armed forces via a social-media post concerning Ukrainian civilian casualties, an offense punishable by up to ten years in prison.

Her attorney, Mikhail Biryukov, confirmed receipt of an official closure notice, prompting her supporters to celebrate the outcome and acknowledge the courtroom presence of hospice patients. The case had drawn widespread sympathy from families served by Lighthouse, which also aided refugees from Ukraine, Nagorno-Karabakh, and displaced Russians from Kursk and Belgorod before suspending operations in 2025. Following her arrest, Moniava announced she would resign as director and leave the board but planned to stay in Russia.