Russian dissident Ildar Dadin killed in Ukraine conflict
The Russian oppositionist fighting in Ukraine, Ildar Dadin, has died. According to reports from his unit's colleagues, along with other soldiers, he was killed as a result of an enemy artillery attack. However, this information is unofficial, as the Russian's unit does not want to disclose details.
The well-known Russian oppositionist Ildar Dadin, who joined the Ukrainian forces, was killed on the front in the Kharkiv region. The tragedy was reported on Tuesday by the independent portal "Novaya Gazeta.Europe". Dadin came under artillery fire in the northeast of the country.
Ildar Dadin left Russia for Poland in 2022, just after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Soon after, however, he joined the Ukrainian forces fighting against the Russian army, where most recognised him under the military pseudonym "Gandhi".
The first reports of the oppositionist's death appeared on 5 October. They were provided by former Echo of Moscow radio journalist Ksenia Larina, who wrote on social media: "I have just learned that Ildar Dadin has died. During the fighting in the Kharkiv region."
Known oppositionist from Russia dies
The information about Dadin's death was also confirmed by the "Freedom for Russia" Legion in a conversation with The Insider portal. The oppositionist reportedly died most likely as a result of a Russian artillery attack, although his unit does not want to disclose details of his death. These will most likely emerge after the conflict ends.
Dadin was one of the most significant opponents of Vladimir Putin's regime. He was the first citizen in Russia to be sentenced to imprisonment for repeatedly violating the regulations concerning the organisation of assemblies.
In 2015, he was sentenced to three years in a penal colony, although the court ultimately reduced the sentence to two and a half years. During his imprisonment in the penal colony in Karelia, Dadin declared that he was tortured. He ultimately left prison in 2017 following the intervention of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.
