The Russian opposition activist Ildar Dadin, whose name became linked to a controversial provision in the penal code that targets the freedom to protest, died while fighting in Ukraine against Russian forces.
Dadin died in the northeastern Kharkiv region, one of the fiercest fronts in Ukraine, according to journalist Xenia Larina who shared the news on the social platform X.
Local media report the dissident joined the Siberian Battalion, a group of Russian volunteers formed in 2023 that operates within the Ukrainian International Legion.
With the nickname Gandhi, Dadin aligned with others who call for Russia’s defeat in the war and the downfall of the regime led by Vladimir Putin.
Dadin rose to prominence in 2015 as the first dissident convicted under a penal code provision known as Article 212.1, which states that a fourth administrative offense within 180 days carries a prison sentence. Critics argue it is unconstitutional and a political tool used against protesters.
During his time imprisoned in Karelia, a region in northern Russia, Dadin reported facing repeated torture and beatings by several guards, including having his head submerged in a toilet and receiving death threats as well as threats of sexual assault.
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The Supreme Court considered his complaints, and he was released in 2017, though he did not go into exile until the onset of Russia’s current military campaign in Ukraine.
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