On
the situation in Ukraine
Council of KSRD, 3 May 2016
The events of
the past 2 years, taking place in Ukraine, have caused a lot of debate. In this
regard we must make a fundamental explanation on the basis of proletarian class
analysis.
The political
regime led by President Viktor Yanukovych emerged in the country in 2010-13. It
was characterized by authoritarianism, a high concentration of power in the
hands of one political group representing the interests of the largest national
financial and industrial corporation called SCM. In fact, the regime has made Ukraine
its own private property. Progressive proletarian activists, journalists were
disappearing and dying year after year, the working class lived in an
atmosphere of fear for their future.
The idea of the
agreement on association with the EU was born in the depths of the regime in
2011, primarily aimed at corporate profits of SCM, of its allies and its
political superstructure. During 2011-13 the official Kiev conducted intensive
negotiations with the European Union, while publicly advocating to strengthen
the independence from Russia and its interests. However, as of 2013 the total
theft and corruption at all levels of government led to significant imbalances
in the economy, which Yanukovych's regime decided to compensate with external
debt. But the IMF and other institutions of global finance capital were willing
to give money in exchange for the complete submission of the country's own
interests. The national bourgeoisie represented by SCM and its allies has not
been clearly interested in this and conducted bids with the West, trying to get
the most favorable conditions of submission for themselves.
Meanwhile, the
economic situation has rapidly deteriorated, and before the signing of the
Association Agreement with the EU Kremlin offered an alternative to Kiev, to
give up the association and to shift to RF, receiving a low-interest loan of
$15 billion. The Yanukovych clique agreed, despite the aggressive massive
propaganda of 3 years in favor of `European integration`. Despite all the
personal exhortations of European leaders (including German Chancellor Angela
Merkel), the agreement was not signed.
This dramatic
reversal was an important factor in further developments. That politically
active part of society, which positively perceived the pro-European propaganda,
could not accept the cynical refusal of the `European vector` by the ruling
elite. In Kiev and other major cities they have appeared and begun to grow
`euromaidans`, mass demonstrations in
support of the `vector`. These performances were immediately supported by
Western countries in organizational, financial, political terms, and headed by
the right and bourgeois `oppositional` forces, skillfully speculated on the
workers` perturbation of Yanukovich clique politics and its crimes.
The regime soon
took enforcement actions against these protests, and in 1 month it acquired the
character of a struggle against the regime as a whole. Skillful manipulation of
the `Maidan leaders`, coupled with the real mood of protest of the masses, led
to widening the protests until the overthrow of the regime. These events had in
its essence some features of the national democratic revolution against SCM
henchmen's oligarchic rule. But it was expected from the right and populist
leaders, to immediately seize power in the country in their hands. After 3
months, early presidential elections were won by Petro Poroshenko, one of the
largest national `oligarchs`, who just a few years before had not disdained to
be a minister in the government of Yanukovych. Now he presented himself as a
fighter against the former regime, for the `European future of the country`.
But Russia,
locally defeated in the struggle for Ukraine, immediately responded with
inspired armed rebellion in the Crimea autonomous region, which from the outset
was directly supported by Russian regular troops. The result was a military
occupation and de facto annexation of the Crimea which resulted in a sharp
deterioration in the living conditions of its population. Furthermore, in
March-April 2014, with the help of pre-trained fighters and lying propaganda,
Moscow instigated the seizure of public offices in major cities of the Donetsk
and Lugansk regions. These areas were chosen solely because here the
administrative influence of the ousted regime was the highest, almost total.
For this reason, local armed forces did not resist those who seized state
institutions.
Against this
background, the new Kiev authorities have decided to start an `anti-terrorist
operation`, ATO, in the Donbass against the pro-Russian rebels. ATO soon
encountered the organized resistance, with full supply of all the resources on
the part of Russia. By August 2014, the regular part of the Russian Armed
Forces came to the Donbass, mostly, so-called battalion tactical groups
selected from the wide variety of regular units. By the autumn of 2014 the
front line as a whole stabilized and has remained about the same till today.
Both sides are building up military forces, pro-Russian rebels receive all
kinds of support from Russia, and their military units are commanded by Russian
Armed Forces current officers.
Thereby, our
working people became a victim of the struggle of different imperialist centers
over influence on Ukraine and its resources. On the one hand, workers of the
main part of the country are exposed to the official propaganda, distracting
their attention from urgent social problems to nationalist ideas which are
alien to the real class interests of those workers. As a result, there has been
a rise of right-wing sentiment in society, as well as strengthening of the
right and extreme right-wing forces, this is `Right Sector`, `Freedom` and
other less influential structures. The `decommunization` is launched, according
to which the use of communist symbols is banned. In addition to the real volunteer
squads, a number of oligarchic `battalions` has been created, financed by large
capital and operating directly in its interests, including conflicts of
commercial nature. In the country there are military advisers of the West and
its allies, from the USA, Canada, the EU, Israel and others.
One part of
this process is a sincere patriotic upsurge among the masses, directed against
the bloody Russian aggression and puppet regimes of Donbass. This rise, among
other things, is expressed in the volunteering movement assistance to the
frontline, only part of which is associated with right-wing political forces.
In addition, in the occupied part of the Donbass popular guerrilla resistance
against the pro-Kremlin local juntas is growing. Unfortunately, all these
sincere patriots rarely see the other side of the issue, Western imperialism
and the corrupt regime in Kiev, whose patriotic and even anti-imperialist
rhetoric is just a tribute to political expediency and selfish interests.
In turn, the
working class of the Donbass and Crimea has been subjected to fierce
imperialist propaganda of Kremlin for 2 years, which creates the illusion of
`national self-determination` and `anti-fascist struggle'. In fact, the
pro-Moscow forces use pro-fascist methods which are typical of reactionary
military dictatorships around the world. The soldiers of the regular army of
the Putin regime and local pro-Russian armed groups bring death and destruction
to our country and its working people. The part of Ukraine occupied by these
troops has turned into a zone of lawlessness and fear, where the armed bandits reign, who often have a criminal
past. Workers go on strikes and protests, but these actions are harshly
suppressed by the local junta, which dismisses hundreds of protesters. Turning
a blind eye to all of this, the bulk of the revisionist `left forces` such as
the CPU or the VKPB, as well as voluntaristic and / or Trotskyist groups like
`Borotba`, directly or covertly support Moscow's actions, including thought-out
military aggression followed by a large-scale PR campaign.
We
Marxist-Leninists of Ukraine are firmly against all the forms of imperialist
aggression in our country. We call on our comrades from all countries not to
accept the thought that some imperialists can be `better` than others.
Imperialism, capitalism is always war and pain. The aspirations of the
Ukrainian workers are not to follow any kind of bourgeois propaganda, and to
struggle for the real rights, for decent wages and adequate social protection,
for higher standards of living. And, of course, they have the right to live
without war, without the roar of shells under the lying words of the Kremlin or
the Western bourgeoisie!
Down with all
imperialist invaders!
Long live the
socialist revolution!
Workers of all
countries, unite!
The Council of
KSRD
Ukraine
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