In a conversation with socialbites.ca, Ivan Sorokin, owner of the Smile Fish network of home kindergartens, criticized the conduct of police officers who arrived at a north Moscow kindergarten following a complaint about alleged illegal detention of children. Sorokin said the children were not unlawfully held and that the parents plan to submit a joint complaint to the prosecutor’s office and the Investigative Committee.
The Smile Fish network operates 117 gardens. The Voikovskaya kindergarten in Moscow has been open for about six weeks. Each garden spans roughly 100 square meters and serves around 16 children aged from eighteen months to seven years. Neighbors are present and, according to Sorokin, the operation respects local quiet hours, with no activities before 8:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m., and no sessions on Saturdays or Sundays. Four days prior, a district police officer visited, suggesting concerns about the kindergarten being illegal. Sorokin emphasized that all documents were presented, including a five-year lease, proof that staff are registered with health certificates, and evidence that teachers are trained. A service contract is signed for every child, with photocopies of birth certificates and parents’ passports kept on file. These documents were provided to the district police officer, who left with a written explanatory note, seemingly satisfied.
Soon after, personnel from PDN’s children’s affairs unit inspected the private kindergarten. The management supplied the same documentation as before.
Nevertheless, the inspections continued. There were nine children at the time, and all their parents confirmed their consent to enroll their kids in the kindergarten, noting satisfaction with the care, health monitoring, and the individualized approach provided. They spoke of paying fees, appreciating the environment, and the attention their children received. Sorokin recalled another routine check passing, yet two days later a large team arrived as the children were preparing for a walk. Eight guardians, led by a police lieutenant colonel, entered the apartment aggressively and remained inside the kindergarten from 11 a.m. Carriers of authority, inspectors and police presence created a tense scene never witnessed before at the facility. Sorokin described how the team stayed for several hours and the children were kept inside during the confrontation.
After reviewing the kindergarten’s records, the officers reportedly said the arrangement did not meet their expectations and, at that moment, a group of children was led away in police custody. Sorokin described the scene as chaotic, noting that not all vehicles used had child seats and that the youngest child was just eighteen months old while the oldest reached five and a half. Only seven people were taken to Police Station No. 100. The family and staff collected the last child at around 5:00 p.m., with employees convening at 6:00 p.m. throughout this period the children were hungry, tired, and distressed. On release, no formal charges, fines, or official documents were presented, prompting Sorokin to call the events arbitrary and reminiscent of child abduction. He added that the police actions imposed psychological and moral pressure on each child involved.
The kindergarten’s leadership pledged to offer psychological support to both parents and children, while a collective complaint to law enforcement authorities was being prepared.
In a broader context, reports surrounding the incident echo concerns from other regions. Earlier, a teacher faced serious accusations after an incident with a child in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, triggering a criminal case.