September 12, 2026

A New Anti-War Hero


A New Anti-War Hero
A person full of light: Lida Moniava Wikimedia Commons, Olga Pavlova

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LidaMoniava2019_4886.jpg

Lida Moniava, founder of the nonprofit "House with a Lighthouse," was recently charged under a law regarding the “spreading of fake news about the Russian army.” Shortly thereafter, Moniava announced that she was resigning as the organization's director. This was, she said, the only way to safeguard the organization’s continued operations.

Moniava is one of the best known and most widely respected figures in Russian philanthropy. She began as a volunteer, fighting for the right of terminally ill people to receive medication and palliative care. In 2018 she founded a charitable project dedicated to helping children diagnosed with cancer. House with a Lighthouse (IДом с маяком) includes not only the foundation but also several children’s hospices, a social center, a resource center, and a perinatal palliative care program. Moniava was not only directly involved in running the organizations – her work has always been part of a greater mission, fighting stereotypes that blocked health access for the terminally ill.

After the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moniava expanded her activities. She established another foundation, this one to aid refugees from Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as residents of the border region of Kursk Oblast. Notably, as a resident of Russia, Moniava regularly posted anti-war messages on her social media accounts. For this, in February she was fined R45,000 ($520) under an administrative code provision.

On September 2, authorities raided Moniava’s home and brought her to the Investigative Committee for questioning. The basis for charges against her was a post she published in February 2023 that read: “For a year now, my country has been sending missiles, tanks, and soldiers to Ukraine. For a year now, innocent people have been dying because of this.”

After spending the night in a temporary detention center, Moniava was brought to court. Dozens gathered outside the courthouse, including people with children in wheelchairs, as well as Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov. After the hearing, Moniava was released from custody with certain restrictions.

As she left, she was greeted with applause and shouts of support. Some analysts believe that Moniavа was released from custody precisely because authorities feared a public backlash. Yet the founder of House with a Lighthouse still faces up to 10 years in prison under the current, draconian laws.

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