Our comrade Dmitry Petrov died fighting for freedom in Ukraine

Gatorna.info published two articles written by Dmitry:

The Anarchist Mission In The Modern World https://gatorna.info/threads/the-anarchist-mission...

Four Months in an Anti-Authoritarian Platoon in Ukraine https://gatorna.info/threads/four-months-in-an-ant...

and his interview Anarchist from NE Europe, disputes the Russian narrative on UA and talks about anarchist resistance https://gatorna.info/threads/anarchist-from-ne-eur...

A friend and comrade to Dima

The dark day for the entire anarchist movement and for our organization in particular.

April 19 2023, near Bakhmut in Ukraine, our friend, one of the founders and active participant of the Combat Organization of Anarcho-Communists (BOAK), Dmitry Petrov, martyred fighting for freedom.

Dima is long-time and consistent anarchist. In the movement he was known as “Ecolog” but his activity was not limited to the defense of environment.

He participated in the defense of the Bitsa Park in Moskow, in “Food not bombs”, fought against infill development and against building of incinerators, for the rights of workers in the ranks of the Anarchist union MPST and against police brutality.

He participated in the antifascist movement and fought Nazis on the streets of Moscow and other places. Participated in the protests on Bolotnaya Square in Moscow 2011, on Maidan in Kyiv 2014, in Belarus 2020.

He published and translated activist literature.

He participated in ethnographic expeditions and got a PhD degree in History.

This would be enough for ten activists, but Dima did not limit himself here.

Dima stood at the foundation of the Anarchist partisan movement in the end of 2000s. And continued to be partisan every day since then. “People’s revenge”, group “ForNurgaliev”, “AntiNashi* action” – all these groups operated not without his participation. And yes, of course, Dima was one of the founders of the famous Black Blocg** and an active participant of all its actions. Including the explosion of the traffic police post on 22 km of the Moscow Automobile Ring Road in 2011.

At the same time, Dima did not just devote himself to the revolutionary practice. He also developed the Anarchist theory. A significant part of programme and theoretical texts of the Black Blocg and BOAK were written by him or with his participation.

As the revolutionary, Dima was internationalist. He fought against the atrocity of oppression everywhere he saw it, borders did not stop him. Besides activities in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus he went to Rojava and trained there, took part in the liberation struggle of the Kurdish people.

In response to the Putin’s invasion in Ukraine, he joined the Resistance Committee to fight against the aggression with weapons in his hands. Later he participated in the Battle of the Svatove – Kreminna line.

In everything he undertook, he acted with complete dedication. He didn’t live but burned.

His feat is immortal. His case is eternal.

We still don’t completely comprehend this loss. Can not find the right words so you can realize what a person he was. Everyone should strive to be that kind of person. But we will try to find and bring these words. In the meantime, we publish Dima’s message that he left when he went to the front.

*Nashi (“Ours”) was a pro-Putin youth movement in Russia founded 2005.

**Black Blocg was a media-platform and network which connected anarchist militants in the post-Soviet space.

My name is Dmitry Petrov, and if you read these lines, then most likely I died fighting against the Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

I am a member of the Combat Organization of Anarcho-Communists (BOAK), and I will still remain this after my death. The BOAK is our brainchild, born of our faith in an organized struggle. We managed to carry it on different sides of state borders.

I tried my best to contribute to the victory over dictatorship and to bring the social revolution closer. And I am proud of my comrades who fought and fight in Russia and beyond.

As an anarchist, revolutionary and Russian, I found it necessary to take part in the armed resistance of the Ukrainian people against Putin’s occupiers. I did this for justice, for defense of the Ukrainian society and for liberation of my country, Russia, from oppression. For the sake of all the people who are deprived of their dignity and the opportunity to breathe freely by the vile totalitarian system created in Russia and Belarus.

Another important sense to participate in this war is to approve internationalism by example. In the days when the deadly imperialism awakes, as a response, a wave of nationalism and contempt for Russians, I argue by word and deed: there are no “bad peoples”. All peoples have the same grief – greedy and power-hungry rulers.

It was not just my individual decision and step. It was a continuation of our collective strategy aimed at creating sustainable structures and guerrilla combat confrontation with the tyrannical regimes of our region.

My dear friends, comrades and relatives, I apologize to all those I hurt with my leaving. I appreciate your warmth very much. However, I firmly believe that the struggle for justice, against oppression and injustice is one of the most worthy meanings that humans can fill their life with. And this struggle requires sacrifices, up to the complete self-sacrifice.

The best memory for me is if you continue actively struggle, overcoming personal ambitions and unnecessary harmful strife. If you continue to fight actively to achieve a free society based on equality and solidarity. For you and for me and for all our comrades. Risk, deprivation and sacrifice on this path are our constant companions. But be sure – they are not in vain.

I hug you all.

Your Ilya Leshy, “Seva”, “Lev”, Fil Kuznetsov,
Dmitry Petrov

Combat Organization of Anarcho-Communists

Länk: https://boakeng.noblogs.org/post/2023/04/27/our-comrade-dmitry-petrov-died-fighting-for-freedom-in-ukraine/