Maria Nikiforova Executed (1919)

Tue Sep 16, 1919

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Maria Nikiforova was a Ukrainian anarchist partisan leader who, alongside her husband, was court martialed and executed by the White Army on this day in 1919.

A self-described terrorist from the age of 16, Nikiforova was known widely by her nickname “Marusya”.

Through her revolutionary efforts, Nikiforova became a renowned figure in the anarchist movement of 1918–1919 in Ukraine during Russian Civil War. She was allied with and influenced Nestor Makhno, and they worked together, pooling resources to fight off other forces in the civil war.

On August 11th, 1919, Marusya was recognized on the street in Sevastopol and she and her husband were arrested by the Whites. Marusya’s arrest was a great victory for White counter-intelligence, and a month was spent gathering evidence for the case against her.

Nikiforova’s “trial”, actually a field court-martial, was held September 16th, 1919. Nikiforova and her husband were both found guilty of various acts of violence against counter-revolutionary forces in Ukraine (her husband just by association), and they were both swiftly executed.