Kharlamov, Vasiliy Antonovich (1899-1964)

Kharlamov, Vasiliy Antonovich (1899-1964)
Vasily Kharlamov was born on January 14th,1899 in the village of Veliky Tokmak, in the Alexandrovsk region, into a peasant family. He moved to Gulyai Polye and became the clerk for the headquarters of the Makhnovist forces.

He was one of the Makhnovists with Nestor Makhno himself, who crossed into Romania on 28th August 1921. He was one of the Makhnovists who moved to Poland with Makhno in April 1922. He later joined Makhno in Paris, and lived near Makhno’s flat. He was a close friend and there exist a number of photographs of Kharlamov and Makhno together.

In Paris he became a factory worker. He married a French woman and they had two sons, Michel and Jacques. He kept up a correspondence with relatives in Gulyai Polye and was able to help them financially, especially during the famines of 1932-1933 and 1946-1947.

He died in an accident in February 1964, when a stone hit him on the head during a strike.

Nick Heath