Colombian President Gustavo Petro spoke last night on the fate of Alexis Castillo, a member of the international brigade who was killed in action while defending the city of Peski in Donetsk People’s Republic, Russia, from a Ukrainian attack.
Commenting on a tweet by Russia Today (RT) correspondent Helena Villar, Petro wrote on Twitter: “A young man who wanted to become a revolutionary has died. The revolution is peace,” while criticizing the lack of this type of information in most media. “It’s not going to appear in our media,” he said.
Alexis, a Colombian who died in Donbass; his revolutionary ideas, perhaps wrong, perhaps not, led him to this war with open eyes.
A young man who wanted to become a revolutionary has died. revolution is peace.
This will not appear in our media. https://t.co/NGbftiy3MH
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 29, 2022
Who is Alexis Castillo?
The internationalist experience of Alexis Castillo, the Colombian brigade member who lived in Spain and arrived in Donbass in 2014 to help protect local people, had come to light in one go documentation by RT premiered last June.
When presenting the material, it is pointed out that in a conflict there are on the one hand the mercenaries who put their skills at the service of the highest bidder and on the other hand the volunteers. The latter (like Alexis) are guided only by what they believe in and are willing to risk their lives for.
During the filming of the above-mentioned audiovisual video in April, the Colombian said that in light of what happened, he decided to go to the south-east of Ukraine “to travel, to save the people of Donbass from all the crazy things.” to protect the security forces “Kyiv with what they call an “anti-terrorist operation” against the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.
Before arriving in Donbass, Castillo worked as a cook and bricklayer. He was married and had a son.
Castillo, a left-wing activist who worked with several anti-fascist organizations, denounced that Western arms sales to Ukraine “do not lead us to peace.”
According to the Colombian, the struggle in the Donbass is not only directed against fascism, but also against US imperialism and Western hegemony.
“Among the volunteers fighting for the liberation of Donbass there are Europeans, Hispanics and even Americans, and no matter how different they may be, their commitment is identical and their decision irrevocable: indeed, prison would be waiting for many if they decide to return,” he says. Vkontakte (VK), the social network hosting the documentary. (RT News)