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A prominent Russian opposition activist-turned-fighter for Ukraine, Ildar Dadin has been killed, according to the Civic Council, a group that recruited him.
Dadin, who fought alongside the Freedom of Russia Legion, died under Russian artillery fire in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine.
The Civic Council, on Monday, confirmed his death, hailing him as a hero indeed.
However, details surrounding his death remain sketchy as the Freedom of Russia Legion withheld comments as military battles continue.
An exiled Russian opposition politician, Ilia Ponamarev, also confirmed the news, adding that Dadin’s comrades in battle had verified his death.
Messages sent to Dadin’s phone remain unread, leaving little doubt that he had perished on the front lines.
Dadin first rose to prominence in Russia a decade ago for his peaceful protests against the intensifying political repression under President Vladimir Putin’s regime.
He was the first person convicted under a 2014 law, often called “Dadin’s Law,” that criminalised repeated violations of restrictive protest regulations.
His sentence of two and a half years in prison became infamous for the harsh treatment he endured, including torture.
Upon his release in 2017, Dadin recounted his brutal experience in prison, where he had been tortured and threatened with rape by guards.
The ordeal nearly broke him, yet his resolve to fight against oppression remained strong.
In early 2023, Dadin joined a battalion of Russian volunteers fighting for Ukraine. He saw this as his moral duty to oppose the atrocities committed by Russia, including aggression, mass killings, and torture.
Despite his pacifist beliefs, he took up arms under the callsign “Gandhi,” driven by a sense of responsibility for failing to prevent Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
While he hoped that helping Ukraine would contribute to ending Putin’s regime, Dadin admitted to feeling disillusioned with some of the missions he undertook.
Despite the hardships and military battles Dadin remained resolute. “I can’t sit by and do nothing,” he once mentioned, lamenting that he hadn’t done enough to stop Russia’s crimes.
However, he continued fighting, even as his conscience weighed heavily on him.
Those who knew him, however, disagreed with his self-criticism. The Civic Council described Dadin as “strong, brave, principled, and honest” and urged people to remember him for his unwavering commitment to justice.
