Ildar Dadin, a renowned Russian opposition activist who later joined Ukraine’s fight against Russia, has been killed in action, confirmed by the Civic Council, the group that recruited him.
Dadin, serving with the Freedom of Russia Legion, died during Russian artillery fire in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine.
Though details surrounding his death remain scarce, his comrades and exiled Russian politician Ilia Ponamarev confirmed the tragic news. Dadin’s phone, now silent, left no doubt of his death on the frontlines. His passing marks the end of a decade-long journey, beginning with peaceful protests against President Vladimir Putin’s repressive regime in Russia.
Dadin made headlines as the first person convicted under the 2014 law criminalizing repeated protest violations, which became known as “Dadin’s Law.” His sentence of two and a half years in prison gained infamy due to the severe abuse and torture he endured at the hands of Russian authorities.
Upon his release in 2017, Dadin spoke out about his suffering in prison but remained resolute in his opposition to Putin’s government.
In 2023, Dadin joined Russian volunteer battalions fighting for Ukraine, driven by a sense of moral duty to oppose Russia’s ongoing atrocities. Though a pacifist at heart, he believed it was his responsibility to take up arms under the callsign “Gandhi.” Initially part of the Siberian Battalion, he later transferred to the Freedom of Russia Legion, which consists mainly of Russian citizens fighting under the Ukrainian Armed Forces to resist Putin’s regime.
While committed to the cause, Dadin expressed disillusionment with some military missions, finding them militarily “pointless.” Despite the challenges and the constant danger, he continued to fight, feeling he couldn’t remain passive in the face of Russia’s crimes.
Dadin’s legacy, though tragically cut short, is one of courage, integrity, and a relentless pursuit of justice. His comrades and the Civic Council have hailed him as a hero, urging the world to remember his principled stand against oppression.
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