This week the Minutes from Latvia podcast features British historian Philip Ruff, whose decades-long researches have cast new light on a fascinating period in both Latvian and British history.

Phil scored a huge hit in Latvia with his book Pa stāvu liesmu debesīs: nenotveramā latviešu anarhista Pētera Māldera laiks un dzīve (A Towering Flame – the life and times of Peter the Painter), published by Dienas Grāmata (Riga 2012).

It tells the true tale of a charismatic young Latvian anarchist who for a while might justifiably have claimed to be the world's most wanted man, 'Peter the Painter' a.k.a Janis Zhaklis.

Minutes from Latvia podcast 23: Philip Ruff on Latvian anarchists and civil resistance Mike Collier/LSM 00:00 / 00:00

Then in the second half of the podcast we revisit a lecture Phil gave in February 2015 on how we might today be able to learn lessons from the experiences of the Latvian anarchist movement in the context of civil resistance to occupation.

If you would like to see a recording of the lecture in question, it is below.

You can follow Phil on Twitter @RuffPhilip.