Anarchists Bomb Bolshevik HQ (1919)

Thu Sep 25, 1919

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Image: A photo of Nikolai Bukharin, injured in the bombing

On this day in 1919, a group known as the “Underground Anarchists” in Russia bombed Bolshevik headquarters in Moscow during a plenary meeting, killing twelve and wounding fifty-five more, including Pravda editor Nikolai Bukharin. The amount killed and wounded in the bombing comes from anarchist historian Paul Avrich, in his text “The Russian Anarchists”.

According to Alexander Berkman:

“The Anarchist organisations of Moscow, not considering terrorism a solution of the difficulties, publicly expressed disapproval of the tactics of the underground group. The government, however, replied with repressions against all Anarchists. Many members of the underground group were executed, a number of Moscow Anarchists were arrested, and in the provinces every expression of the Anarchist movement was suppressed.”