Maria Lvova-Belova
Maria Alexeyevna Lvova-Belova (Russian: Мария Алексеевна Львова-Белова; born 25 October 1984) is a Russian politician, currently the Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Russian Federation.
Maria Lvova-Belova | |
|---|---|
Мария Львова-Белова | |
Lvova-Belova in 2020 | |
| Children's Rights Commissioner for the President of Russia | |
| Assumed office 27 October 2021 | |
| President | Vladimir Putin |
| Preceded by | Anna Kuznetsova |
| Russian Federation Senator from Penza Oblast | |
| In office 21 September 2020 – 27 October 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Alexey Dmitriyenko |
| Succeeded by | Nikolay Kondratyuk |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 October 1984 Penza, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Political party | United Russia[1] |
| Spouse | Pavel Kogelman (m. 2003) |
| Children | 23 (5 biological, 18 adopted) |
On 17 March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant alleging unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[2]
Career
Born and raised in Penza, Lvova-Belova graduated from the A. A. Arkhangelsky College of Culture and Arts in 2002 as a conductor.[3] From 2000 to 2005, she worked as a guitar teacher at children's music schools in Penza. She cofounded and headed the Penza regional public organization for promoting social adaptation "Blagovest." From 2011 to 2014 and 2017 to 2019, she was a member of the Civic Chamber of Penza Oblast, the latter term overlapping one in the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation.[4] In 2019, she was elected co-chair of the All-Russia People's Front regional headquarters.[5]
In 2019, Lvova-Belova joined the United Russia party (the ID card was given to her on 23 November by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev). On 24 November, she was elected to the Presidium of the General Council of the United Russia, and she became the co-chair of the working group to support civil society. In September 2020, reelected governor of Penza Oblast Ivan Belozertsev appointed her to the Federation Council of Russia from Penza Oblast's executive branch.[6] After the 2021 snap election, she was reappointed by Oleg Melnichenko.
On 27 October 2021, Russian president Vladimir Putin appointed Senator Maria Lvova-Belova as the federal Commissioner for Children's Rights, one month after previous commissioner Anna Kuznetsova became an MP.[7]
Lvova-Belova was accused by Ukrainian and British officials of supervising the forcible deportation and adoption of children from Ukraine during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[8][9] Following the invasion, she was sanctioned by the EU in July 2022 and by Japan in January 2023.[10][11]
A warrant for Lvova-Belova's arrest was issued by the International Criminal Court on 17 March 2023, which claims she is responsible for the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia during the invasion; a similar warrant was issued for Putin.[2][12] She responded: "It's great that the international community has appreciated the work to help the children of our country, that we do not leave them in the war zone, that we take them out, that we create good conditions for them, surround them with loving, caring people. There were sanctions of all countries, even Japan, against me, now there is an arrest warrant, I wonder what will happen next - well, we continue to work."[13]
Personal life
Lvova-Belova has been married to Pavel Kogelman, a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church and formerly a programmer, since 2003.[14][4] They have five biological and eighteen adopted children.[15][16] The former were born in 2005, 2007, 2010, 2014 and 2018.[4] In February 2023, she adopted a 15-year-old boy from Mariupol, which caused controversy due to the concurrent abduction issue.[16][2]
References
- ^ Lvova-Belova Maria Alexeyevna 27 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine, United Russia party
- ^ a b c "Putin arrest warrant issued over war crime allegations". BBC News. 17 March 2023.
- ^ "Уполномоченный по правам ребенка в РФ Мария Львова-Белова. Досье" [Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Russian Federation Maria Lvova-Belova. Dossier]. Argumenty i Fakty (in Russian). 27 October 2021. from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ^ a b c Lvova-Belova Maria Alexeyevna 12 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine PenzaNews.
- ^ Kotov, Kazakov and Lvova-Belova elected as co-chairmen of the Penza headquarters of the ONF 10 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine PenzaNews.
- ^ "Сенатором от Пензенской области назначили директора социальной НКО Марию Львову-Белову" [Director of a social NGO Maria Lvova-Belova was appointed Senator from the Penza region]. TASS (in Russian). 21 September 2020. from the original on 6 October 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ^ "Путин назначил Марию Львову-Белову уполномоченным по правам ребенка" [Putin appointed Maria Lvova-Belova Commissioner for Children's Rights]. TASS (in Russian). from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ^ "Invaders deport children from Mariupol and Volnovakha to Rostov Oblast, Russia: they want to turn them into Russian citizens". Ukrayinska Pravda. from the original on 2 June 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
- ^ Quinn, Allison (16 June 2022). "Putin's Advocate for Child Welfare Is Straight-Up Stealing Kids in Ukraine, U.K. Says". The Daily Beast. from the original on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ "COUNCIL IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2022/1270 of 21 July 2022". from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ "Japan imposes personal sanctions on 36 Russian individuals". TASS. from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "Situation in Ukraine: ICC judges issue arrest warrants against Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova". International Criminal Court. Press Release. 17 March 2023. from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "«Это историческое решение» Как в Украине, России и мире реагируют на международный ордер на арест президента РФ" [“This is a historic decision” How Ukraine, Russia and the world react to an international warrant for the arrest of the President of the Russian Federation]. Meduza. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ ""Я уже привык к светской работе и хорошей зарплате, и тут все изменилось» — как успешный программист и отец девяти детей стал священником – Православный журнал «Фома"" ["I'm already used to secular work and a good salary, and then everything changed" - how a successful programmer and father of nine children became a priest - Orthodox magazine "Foma"] (in Russian). 9 April 2021. from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ^ "Семнадцать детей будущего министра" [Seventeen children of the future minister]. TASS (in Russian). 6 September 2020. from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ^ a b "Putin's Children's Envoy Reveals She Adopted Child From Mariupol". The Moscow Times. 16 February 2023. from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
External links
Media related to Maria Lvova-Belova at Wikimedia Commons