September 5, 1926: Today marks 95 years since the execution of Bolshevik Pavel Tkachenko by the Romanian occupation forces in Chisinau, Moldova.

Born in what is now the independent republic of Transnistria, Tkachenko was a workers’ leader, communist organizer and founder of Moldova’s Komsomol (Communist Youth). At the time, the country was occupied by Romania. Tkachenko was just 25 when he was executed on September 5, 1926, by the Romanian monarchy’s secret service.

He became an inspirational figure to generations of revolutionary youth in Moldova and throughout the Soviet Union.