The other day our comrade Dmitry Petrov, known to many as Ilya Leshy, died in the battles near Bakhmut. Many Belarussian anarchists got to know Leshy during the protests of 2020. At the time, the anarchist, originally from Russia, illegally crossed the border into Belarus to take part in the fight against the Lukashenko regime. Leshy saw in the destruction of the dictatorship in Belarus the road to liberation, including of Russia, from tyranny.
During his stay in Minsk he took part in dozens of marches, helped to organise anarchist bloc at demonstrations, and even managed to throw stun grenades at cops. At night when many Belarusians were resting Leshiy and other comrades went out to the streets of Minsk and destroyed the surveillance cameras that played an important role in the infrastructure of repression. Dima also had a hand in Pramen project – in the autumn of 2020 he prepared several materials for our website. If you’ve ever marched through Minsk next to a column of anarchists, there’s a good chance you’ve walked shoulder to shoulder with this incredible man.
Anarchism and revolution were for Leshy the goal of life. Repeatedly in action he proved his commitment to the idea of the liberation of peoples from state oppression and authoritarianism, not just in Russia and the BUR, but far beyond its borders. He gave his life for the struggle and showed us an example of courage and revolutionary spirit. We will never forget him, and on the ruins of the regimes of Eastern Europe we will plant a tree that will remind generations after us of the legendary anarchist Dmitri Petrov, who knew no borders and no nations in his love for people and thirst for freedom.
Today we mourn, but tomorrow we will continue in the struggle remembering all those who are no longer with us!
