Workers of Russia and Ukraine: rally for social and national equality!

Submitted by dalcassian on 17 April, 2014 - 11:22

RSM's Position
Extract from the 1st May Manifesto of the Russian Socialist Movement (Russian Mandelites):

"The make-believe ‘anti-fascism’ of the Kremlin is incapable of concealing its open flirting with fascist ideology, as manifested in its financing of ultra-right parties abroad, its active use of Russian nationalists in the role of its agents in Ukraine, its creation of Cossack militias, and its encouragement of xenophobic and anti-semitic statements in the semi-official mass media, etc.

The whipping-up of a great-power-patriotic psychosis within Russia, the new and even more severe anti-extremist legislation, the pursuit of so-called ‘national traitors’, and the closing of opposition media are aimed at crushing social unrest, perpetuating the existing system of power, and making external enemies responsible for the increasingly wretched situation in the country.

In spite of the fact that returning to being part of Russia met the mood of a significant part of the population of Crimea, and also despite the fact that pro-Russian separatism exists in a number of other regions of Ukraine, aggression against what is known to be a much weaker nation which has only just overthrown a corrupt regime is nothing other than an act of imperialist plunder.

In the medium-term perspective, the inclusion of Crimea and any other Ukrainian territories into the structure of an authoritarian and oligarchic Russian state will only result in the crushing of the civil liberties and a continuation of the economic exploitation of the workers of those territories.

In this situation the duty of all left-wing and democratic forces in our country is to oppose the goading of the Russian and Ukrainian peoples against each other in the interests of different groups of capitalists. Their competition for markets and resources, against the background of the intensifying economic crisis, threatens to escalate into a war from which Russian imperialism cannot emerge victorious.

Supporting the right to self-determination for all ethnic or linguistic groups, sharing the alarm of the inhabitants of the south-east with regard to the radically right-wing course of Turchinov’s cabinet, we, together with them, oppose military intervention by the Kremlin in the political struggle in Ukraine.

The workers of Russia and Ukraine must rally together – not around their own or foreign governments and oligarchs, but around the demands of democracy and social and national equality."

This website uses cookies, you can find out more and set your preferences here.
By continuing to use this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.