"We condemn Putin's imperial war against Ukraine"

Statement issued by the online platform LeftEast on February 25, 2022.

From LeftEast

[This statement published on 2/25/2022 is translated from the German on the Internet, https://www.akweb.de/bewegung/lefteast-wir-verurteilen-putins-imperialen-krieg-gegen-die-ukraine/.]

Shot of a high-rise building with a large hole gaping in it

A high-rise building in a residential neighborhood in Kiev that was likely hit by a missile on the morning of February 26, 2022. Video footage purporting to show the moment of impact is circulating on social media. Author: unknown

We, the members of the LeftEast collective, are appalled by the violent military aggression that has escalated to war in Ukraine. It threatens to plunge our region into bloodshed not seen in decades. We unequivocally condemn the Kremlin's criminal invasion and demand the withdrawal of Russian troops to the international border. Even though we do not forget the responsibility of the USA, NATO and their allies for the emergence of this war: The clear aggressor in the current situation is the Russian political and economic elite. Our efforts should be directed at exposing Russia's inexcusable imperialist invasion of Ukraine, to which NATO's aggressive expansion and Ukraine's post-Maidan regime have also paved the way.

In the revolutionary spirit and in solidarity with the peoples of Ukraine, Russia and the region, today we say "No!" to Moscow and "No!" to the false choice between Moscow and NATO in the future. We demand an immediate ceasefire and a return to the negotiating table. The interests of global capital and its military machine are not worth another drop of blood. Peace, land and bread!

We oppose the oligarchic capitalism, authoritarian neoliberalism and regional anti-communism promoted by global anti-communists* that have brought us to this point. As Putin himself threatened in his "history speech" on February 21: "You want decommunization? Very well, that suits us very well. But why stop halfway? We are ready to show what real decommunization would mean for Ukraine."

Today's Kremlin attack represents this complete "decommunization." A few right-wing politicians* will certainly benefit from it. For most of us, extreme nationalism and far-right ideologies bring nothing but suffering and a spiral of hatred. Economically, this so-called anti-communism has brought us the oligarchic capitalism - and poverty - that we see in Russia, Ukraine, and all of Eastern Europe. Politically, it has given us governments that barely pretend to represent their people.

We state emphatically:

1. we hold the Kremlin responsible for this act of war! The Russian state has invaded Ukraine in the name of an absolute reactionary imperial nostalgia and in explicit rejection of the internationalist solidarity exemplified by the past and present revolutionary movements in Eastern Europe. Putin's "Greater Russia" nationalism is a criminal and doomed attempt to consolidate an international position by denying the rich cultural diversity of Eastern Europe. We stand with all ethnic groups in the region and hold to the vision of peaceful solidarity through the struggle for a better world for all.

2 Although we consider the Kremlin to be the initiator of this war and the main aggressor today, we are aware of the responsibility that the United States, many of its allies and transnational capital bear for the disastrous situation. Their refusal to negotiate with Russia over its concerns about NATO expansion has fanned the flames of war, even as many, including the Ukrainian government, have called for de-escalation. In the wake of the pandemic, economic and political elites in the United States and other advanced capitalist states hoped to distract people from their dwindling democratic legitimacy and the economic hegemony of Euro-Atlantic "integration." They pushed to boost capital accumulation, all at the expense of the people of Eastern Europe. The bellicose antagonist and present-day imperialist Putin is now using the catastrophic, post-socialist and pandemic crisis of social reproduction in both Russia and Ukraine to stir up nationalist sentiments and to profit from and (re)produce old ethnonationalist conflicts. Exploitative and expansionist Euro-Atlantic "integration" has now become the casus belli of an authoritarian regime: A full-blown war has broken out in Ukraine.

3 We reject the regional anti-communism that, ironically, Putin in particular embodies with his promise of "decommunization" - despite all the solidarity he receives from sections of the left and despite the liberal projections of Putin as a "communist," while at the same time his government marginalizes and brutally represses the left-wing Russian opposition as well as anti-fascist, anarchist and anti-war movements. Equally and most importantly, we reject the anti-social regimes based on oligarchic capitalism. They feed nationalism and far-right ideologies in Russia, Ukraine and opportunist micro-regimes in Eastern Europe, combining militarist right-wing rhetoric with profiteering from the misfortunes of others.

We reject the so-called "decommunization laws and reforms" of recent years in both Russia and Ukraine. Both "enemy blocs," Russia and the U.S./Nato, are imperialist and capitalist forces that have taken the path of authoritarian anti-communist neoliberalism. This path, which Ukraine is also following, is evident in all the neoliberal labor laws, land "reforms" designed to restrict access to land, the expropriation of small farmers, and the economic and social policy reforms of recent years that have subjected people to extreme exploitation and high risks of poverty. This has led to an unprecedented socio-economic crisis in both Russia and Ukraine, but not only there - as it has regional and global implications.

5. contrary to the glorification of the Ukrainian government as the absolute democratic bearer of freedom, we question the post-Maidan Ukrainian regime: its repression of the left and the opposition, the banning of major opposition parties and the blocking of popular opposition media; the discriminatory language policy and unwillingness to recognize Ukraine's political, ethnic, and cultural diversity; and the sabotage of the Minsk agreements over the past seven years. Ukraine's extreme "decommunization" reforms also make it clear that we cannot simply wish for a return to the untenable situation of yesterday.

We reject the camp thinking that seeks salvation in either racist and militarist Euro-Atlantic unity or revanchist Eurasism, rather than supporting genuine struggles for radical social change, democracy, workers' power, inclusion and liberation.

In the face of these reactionary ideologies that promise nothing but blood, poverty and division, we uphold the legacy of the revolutionary movements of Eastern Europe, in whose (many) tradition(s) we pursue the struggle against capitalism, imperialism and militarism and the promise of religious, ethnic and gender equality. This struggle in solidarity with all workers and oppressed in our region is the only hope for a better future for ethnic Ukrainians and Russians, as well as for the historically oppressed groups of the region - Romnja*, Jews and Jews, Tatar and migrant communities, women and sexual minorities. In this spirit, we proclaim our solidarity with the political prisoners in Ukraine and Russia and our support for the movement for radical anti-capitalist democracy and its forces in both countries.

We call for an immediate ceasefire, anti-war efforts that target the economic and political elite but not the workers* and people of the respective countries, and negotiations that take stock of past mistakes in the peace process and social and economic policies that have led our region to war. We stand in solidarity with the anti-capitalist and anti-war movements in Ukraine and Russia. We have no illusions about the promises of liberal democracy. No war except class struggle!

We ask comrades* in countries not yet affected by war to call on their governments to ensure a full and humane reception of refugees from Ukraine and all other conflict zones, to demand a fast course to peace, and to express solidarity with those whose lives are affected by aggression and hurrah patriotism. It is the history of left internationalism and pacifism that guides us.

LeftEast

is a left platform for analysis, reports, interviews from across the region. The self-description says: "This is a platform where our common struggles and political commitments come together beyond national borders or the straitjacket of national languages." lefteast.org

The statement by LeftEast's editorial collective appeared on February 25 under the tit