Ildar Dadin was the first person ever imprisoned in Russia under a criminal statute introduced in 2014 that makes it a felony to attend multiple unpermitted demonstrations. After he spent more than a year in prison, Dadin moved to Ukraine in early 2023, and he’s now training to fight in the so-called “Siberian Battalion,” which former Russian intelligence officer Vladislav Ammosov hopes to lead into battle against his old compatriots.
Many non-violence figureheads have had counterparts who did engage in more drastic, even violent action. In Gandhi’s case, his counterpart would be Subhas Chandra Bose. In Martin Luther King’s case, it would be Malcolm X. Even Mandela, who agreed with the ideals of non-violence, became frustrated at the limitations it had when facing against an opposing force that could not be appeased.
Non-violence helps to win over the hearts of people, allowing your movement to gain traction when many fence-sitters might be turned off by acts of terrorism or wanton violence. Charisma goes a long way in opening people’s minds to your ideals, helping paint your movement in a positive light.
Ukraine’s plight, however, has already garnered the sympathy that it needs internationally. Perhaps not within Russia itself, but the support from countries around the world has been immense. I think this is the limit of non-violence in this case, and what remains is the need to take this momentum and support and translate it into a fight for said ideals.
Good for him! Working through difficult questions philosophically and not holding too tightly (or loosely) to beliefs earns my admiration.
Not a lot of conviction in his nonviolent beliefs, huh
He went to prison for his beliefs.
Sometimes, the only reasonable response is kinetic. Asking nicely doesn’t stop a Russian war of conquest.
Damn, if only he could have thought about that before claiming to be nonviolent. Sometimes violence is the answer, huh
