By 
09-10-2024
Human Rights and Europe Researcher,
Global Human Rights Defence.
On October 7th, the well-known Russian peaceful protester and human rights activist Ildar Dadin was killed on the battlefield in Ukraine, in the northeastern Kharkiv region, whilst fighting alongside Ukrainian forces. The news first became public through the comments made on X by former Echo of Moscow journalist Ksenia Larina, who clarified that the incident occurred on October 5th when Dadin’s volunteer battalion allegedly came under artillery fire in the northeastern region of Kharkiv. The Freedom of Russia Legion later confirmed what happened, declining to provide further details while the offensive was still ongoing. However, the exiled Russian opposition, previously MP in the Federation with ties to the Legion, has reported to the BBC that Dadlin’s death is “certain, alas,” offering all of civil society a reason to mourn a hero.
Ildar Dadin began actively protesting the Kremlin following the parliamentary elections held in the Federation in December 2011, when Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party purportedly secured 49.32 percent of the vote. According to the information currently available, the large-scale condemnation of the ruling party for voter fraud prompted Dadin to become more involved in public life, which also led him to work as an election monitor thirteen times to verify “with his own eyes” what was happening. In January 2015, he gained prominence as the first individual prosecuted for infringing Article 212.1 of the Criminal Code Statute — subsequently dubbed Dadin’s law — essentially criminalising repeated “unauthorised” but peaceful demonstrations in the streets, effectively a manner to fast-track political oppositionists to jail.
Sentenced to two and a half years behind bars, Ildar Dadin was sent to penal colony seven in Segezha (northwestern Russia) and, at one point, transferred to Prison Colony five (southern Siberia) due to public outcry over persistent beatings and torture announced by the prisoner while being in the first penitentiary. In a letter to his wife, Mr. Dadin revealed shameful acts of physical violence, bullying, and threats of rape regularly perpetrated by the prison guards, which also highlighted the unjust treatment of other political opponents. In February 2017, Russia’s Supreme Court overturned Dadin’s case due to illegal prosecution, recognising his right to rehabilitation and awarding him compensation of 2.2 million Rubles for moral damages.
By that time he had been charged with four non-violent street actions, which in this specific case simply meant standing in the streets with protest cardboards. However, the rising political repression staged by the Kremlin in the following years discouraged him from continuing his heartfelt battle for democracy. Over time, Ildar Dadin, adopted the callsign “Gandhi” to emphasise the peaceful nature of his activism and became well-known for his persistence in combating Putinism. From 2011, he had been detained more than fifty times on charges related to both protests and pickets; however, in 2022, with Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, he decided to pass on concrete action in support of Ukraine on the battlefield, risking his life until he was reported dead a few days ago. “I will continue to fight against Putin’s fascist regime”, and “I will fight so that human rights are respected in Russia”, Dadlin stated after his release from prison, echoing the necessity to stop human rights violations in this region. The civic council of Freedom of Russia Legion, the Ukraine-base paramilitary unit uniting Russian citizens to defend Ukraine, which welcomed Ildar Dadin in his final years of service, confirmed the soldier’s death, adding that “he was and he remains a hero.”
Bibliography and Further Readings:
Feldman, E. (2024, October 7). Imprisoned, tortured, and killed at the front: The life and death of anti-Kremlin activist Ildar Dadin. Meduza. Retrieved on October 7, 2024, from: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2024/10/07/imprisoned-tortured-and-killed-at-the-front-the-life-and-death-of-anti-kremlin-activist-ildar-dadin.
Gromova, A. (2024, October 6). Pogib voevavshiy za VSU Il’dar Dadin. Ego imenyem s 2015 goda v Rossii nazyvali stat’yu UK. Gazeta.ru., Retrieved on October 8, 2024, from: https://www.gazeta.ru/social/2024/10/06/19860091.shtml?updated.
Kent, L., Vlasova, S.. Tarasova, D. (2024, October 7). Anti-Kremlin Russian activist killed while fighting for Ukraine. CNN. Retrieved on October 7, 2024, from: https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/07/europe/anti-kremlin-russian-activist-killed-ukraine-intl/index.html.
Kozenko, A. (2024, October 7). Odin protiv gosudarstva. Kem byl Il’dar Dadin — rossiyanin, voevavshiy za VSU. The BBC Russkaja sluzhba. Retrieved on October 7, 2024, from: https://www.bbc.com/russian/articles/c17lz4n95v4o.
Larina K., (2024, October 6). Aktivist Il’dar Dadin pogib na vojne. Meduza. Retrieved on October 7, 2024, from: https://meduza.io/news/2024/10/06/zhurnalistka-kseniya-larina-soobschila-chto-aktivist-ildar-dadin-pogib-na-voyne.
Murray, W. (2024, October 6). Ukraine war briefing: Anti-Kremlin figure Ildar Dadin dies fighting on Ukrainian side. The Guardian. Retrieved on October 8, 2024, from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/07/ukraine-war-briefing-drones-f-16s-and-patriots-on-dutch-menu-of-aid-to-kyiv-ukrainians.
Rainsford, S. (2024, October 7). Russian opposition activist killed fighting for Ukraine. The BBC. Retrieved on October 8, 2024, from: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq5eyqjz1yjo.
(2017, January 17). Urgent Action: Ildar Dadin Moved to A New Prison. Amnesty International.
(2017, February 26). Ildar Dadin is Finally Released From Prison. Free Russia Foundation. Retrieved on October 7, 2024, from: https://www.4freerussia.org/press-center/ildar-dadin-is-finally-released-from-prison/.
(2024, October 6). Rossijskij aktivist Il’dar Dadin pogib na vojne v Ukraine. Nastoyashchee vremya. Retrieved on October 7, 2024, from: https://www.currenttime.tv/a/ildar-dadin-pogib-na-voyne-v-ukraine/33147987.html.
(2024, October 6). Russian Activist Killed on Front Line in Ukraine. The Moscow Times. Retrieved on October 8, 2024, from: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/10/06/russian-activist-killed-on-front-line-in-ukraine-a86589.
(2024, October 6). Oppozitsioner iz Podmoskov’ya Il’dar Dadin, imenem kotorogo nazvali ugolovnuyu stat’yu, pogib v SVO. MSK1Ru. Retrieved on October 7, 2024, from: https://msk1.ru/text/world/2024/10/06/74178059/.
(2024, October 6). Legion «Svoboda Rossii» podtverdil gibel voevavshogo na storone Ukrainy aktivista Il’dara Dadina. Mediazona. Retrieved on October 7, 2024, from: https://zona.media/news/2024/10/06/dadin.
(2024, October 6). Simonyan soobshchila o likvidatsii Il’dara Dadina, voevavshogo na storone VSU. Rja Novosty. Retrieved on October 8, 2024, from: https://ria.ru/20241006/dadin-1976631274.html.
(2024, October 7). V Rossii poyavyatsya ulitsy ego imeni. Sotsseti o gibili Il’dara Dadina. Radio Svaboda. Retrieved on October 7, 2024, from: https://www.svoboda.org/a/33148128.html.
(2024, October 7). Once Russia’s Best-Known Activist, Ildar Dadin Killed Fighting For Ukraine. RadioFreeEurope/RadioFreeLiberty. Retrieved on October 8, 2024, from: https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-activist-dadin-killed-fighting-ukraine/33148859.html.
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