Maria Nikiforova, was an illegalist, a terrorist, and an anarchist from Ukraine. Born in 1885, she and her comrades would execute armed robberies on businesses and banks to raise money for their cause, till her death in 1919. She was arrested and sent to Siberia, from where she escaped to Japan and was helped by Chinese anarchists to emigrate to the USA, where she lived with Russian-Jewish anarchist immigrants in New York. From there, she went to Paris, then Spain, where she was injured whilst bombing a bank. Much like the Ukrainian anarchists of today joining the Ukrainian military, when war broke out in 1914, she joined the French army as an officer. Internationalist, pragmatic, and unflinching, she chose a controversial path of siding with a state in the face of a greater evil. 

After this, she returned to Russia, speaking with the famous revolutionary workers of Kronstadt, before returning to Ukraine in 1917, where she recommenced her terrorism. As the revolution broke out, she found herself working alongside the red and black armies, when it worked for her, before splitting with both. She conducted assassinations, terror plots, and robberies on bolsheviks in Moscow, white army dictators in Crimea, and even held anarchist leader Makhno at gunpoint, demanding funds for her activities. As an anarchist, she served only the interests of immediate, underground redistribution of wealth and power, through pragmatic violence and with no reservations. 

While Maria spent her life on her own mission, the 1917 Russian revolution birthed one of the most successful anarchist territories to date in Europe- the Free State, or the Makhnovshchina. It played a huge part in defeating the bourgeois monarchist White Army in Ukraine, establishing their own territory guarded by their Black Army in the south. 

The free state had its roots in resistance against oppression. Landlords seized peasant land in the 20th century, out of which came a movement advocating common land, for all, with all. Jewish activists and the Union of Poor Peasants within the region, amongst others, pushed for anarchism during the 1905 revolution- the groundwork was being laid. As the 1917 revolution hit, anarchists like Nestor Makhno and our favourite controversialist Maria Nikiforova seized the opportunity. The town of Huliapole was seized, a peasants union formed, a soviet built up to replace the cities council, land was seized from kulaks and landowners- rent stopped. This pattern followed throughout the area until the Free State was crafted- no rent, no bosses, free land. At its peak, it hosted upwards of seven million people. It was an openly anarchist society- with a flag which read Death to all who stand in the way of freedom for working people! 

It was thought, after the decline of anarchism in the face of violent soviet repression, that it had died a death in the region. That is, until the current situation.

Present

1917 was not the only time Ukraine has found itself a violent meeting point of nationalisms and authorities. From the Kievan Rus to Genghis Khan’s Golden Horde, Poland to the Ottoman Empire, Nazi Germany to, of course, white, red, and modern Russian militaries, alongside a vast array of Ukrainian nationalisms, liberal, communist, and fascistic alike. It’s a complicated cacophony of identities and allegiances; all rules made to be broken, continually being remoulded in the forge of history- particularly now, in this white heat of invasion. 

In comes the recent collision; this second phase of the cold war we live in, which has seen Georgians, Moldovans, and Ukrainians as its cannon fodder. As Ukrainian governments have turned to NATO since 2014 (although President Zelensky has recently insisted they will not be joining), Russian generals and politicians find themselves threatened by visions of the Ukrainian border littered with western powers. Putin, ever a gambler, throws himself behind the Russian war machine- only to find it half working, causing immeasurable devastation (hospitals, nurseries, homes) with not as much to show for it as they’d have hoped. Images of Russians fighting over bags of sugar, students unable to do exams as sanctions prevent paper production, and- more importantly- a crumbling rouble, reveals an evermore fragile Russian nation- though the war is far from over. 

Enter the Azov Battalion. An outwardly fascist/far-right branch of the Ukrainian military, operating right on the Russian borders. They emerged out of football hooligans, fascist gangs, and veterans from the 2014 war against Russian separatists. Their continued presence and power is a threat to Roma, immigrant, Jewish, Muslim and Russian populations within Ukraine- and they’re being completely spoilt by NATO with weaponry and resources. Now, we are seeing Roma and other minorities being tied to lampposts in Ukraine with green duct tape, and videos of street harassment of minorities are growing, including a video of a bigot threatening and screaming at Roma women with a dildo. This is not unprecedented- in 2018, armed Azov affiliates and C14, a fascist street group, stormed and destroyed Roma encampments. Here, Russia finds its ammunition to manufacture consent for their “special operation”- the “denazification” of Ukraine. 

Of course, this war does not “denazify” anything- the reverse has happened. Indeed, Russia has its own Nazi problem within its own ranks (see: the Wagner group). As Russians destroy hospitals, stadiums full of citizens, schools, residential areas, and seem to be indiscriminately murdering masses of civilians- including over a hundred children over only three weeks- most polls suggest a reactive Ukrainian nationalism is on the rise. As Zelensky garners huge national and international support, whilst banning eleven prominent political parties within his own country, a highly militarised public grows with a high proportion of the population armed- it leaves the question, what ideology do these changes serve? These social upheavals in times of crisis create a fertile ground for an already globally admired and state sanctioned neo-nazi movement in Ukraine, which sees people joining from across the world. 

Counterpresent

So who is really fighting this neo-nazism in Ukraine? The government embraces it, Russia bolsters it, NATO funds it. Out of a long silenced tradition of anarchism in Ukraine, anarchist and left-wing militias are growing to fight back against the rise of the far-right and Russia. After being taken by surprise by the Euromaidan, Revolution of Dignity and Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, which saw the development of an organised national far-right movement consisting of Azov and the National Militia, anarchist organisations have grown. 

Now, we are seeing a militant anarchist presence grow in Ukraine, joining the Ukrainian armed forces, and en masse supporting Ukraine. This is despite the Ukrainian military hosting fascists. As Ukrainian anarchists wrote for Crimethinc just before war broke out, “Anarchists in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia mostly support Ukrainian independence directly or implicitly,” as it is an “island of freedom.” Their point of reference here is how Belarusian anarchists are being tortured after the 2020 revolts, and how Russian protesters are currently being treated by Russian authorities. Belarussian refugees are also joining the antiauthoritarian militias to fight against Putin. Anarchist training camps have been developing since 2014, including a group known as Rev Dia, or Revolutionary Action. This group has now joined the Ukrainian army, declaring on their Instagram as the invasion happened that they will “gather all their strength and organise to fight the dictator”. Whilst they’ve received much criticism for siding with a state, they have retorted: “we are not REAL anarchists. Real anarchists are posting their critical analysis sitting on the chair, with mug of coffee in safety.” 

A documentary by Popular Front on Rev Dia shows the anarchists in repeated cultural and direct conflict with fascists, capital and the state. This, in itself, is a sign of a growing and proliferating movement; from a movement that couldn’t meet fascism in the streets of Kyiv eight years ago, to a movement with militant self-defence capabilities. They’re small, but disciplined; overwhelmed by a fascist presence with the state on its side, yet capable, yet surviving, yet expressing their presence and now being able to move overground. What this move will mean for them in the long term- how much this exposes them to infiltration, policing, and further violence, is a risk this war has demanded of them. On the other hand, the extent to which this offers a viable counter-politics to many in Ukraine- that doesn’t involve becoming a neo-nazi- crafts an armed, visible hope. 

Future

But what does this have to do with the Ukrainian anarchists of 1917? The Free State has long been admired by anarchists as an example of organised anarchism in motion, one of the few global examples beyond the Zapatistas in Mexico, Rojava in Syria, and the CNT in Spain. Maria, Makhno, and The Free State’s demise came when they were betrayed and destroyed by the Russian Red Army, who they had allied with to defeat the White Army and Ukrainian nationalists. Their work was destroyed, they were exiled and imprisoned, and the anarchist movement was viciously repressed. Since then, no anarchist movement has shown hope of taking hold in Ukraine- till now. Militant, pragmatic, and organised anarchism in Ukraine has a history, and an important one. In this movement, anarchists in Ukraine have a chance to show a different path towards autonomy, safety, and respect for Ukrainian people, which rejects and defies violent borders, racist street gangs, and economic terror. It is a difficult decision to side with a western power- the same decision had to be made by Rojava in siding with the USA as they aided the fight against ISIS. In that instance, Rojava found itself protected from a powerful Turkish military as the US remained on their soil- only for the USA to back out, leaving Rojava to near genocide at the hands of Erdogan. That same betrayal which the black army saw after they sided with the red army, that betrayal that many anarchists find once they begin to side with a state, could be met with Rev Dia and its comrades also. How can an anarchist movement co-exist- even ally itself- with its antithesis? Nonetheless, supporting their project remains critical to ensuring that Ukraine’s political sphere does not simply become a cesspit of the most reactionary forces known to earth. 

@rev_dia on Instagram runs with the tagline:

 -Пряма демократія, Боротьба з чиновниками-

“Direct Democracy, Fight against the Officials.” If you have Instagram, following them, alongside
@theblackheadquarter on instagram will lead you to tools to help support, if you feel you can, alongside Operation Solidarity, who are helping with ensuring activists are safe and feeding Ukrainian people. Beyond the situation there, the bravery and defiance of these groups and individuals are a beacon to many of us, stranded in our own states, confronted by the despair of our political, ecological and economic doom, that there is potential and chance to band together and resist. Maria Nikiforova and Nestor Makhno teach us new realms of potential within our movements. The defiance of the past shows us the resilience of revolutionary possibility. If, in the midst of a territory of such extreme right wing and authoritarian violence as Ukraine is currently, and was, these movements can flourish- what is to be said of our own potential?