Russia and Belarus: to more war, more repression

ByKazimierz Kryzhich

Lukashenko and Putin have been in power for decades. They have always been authoritarian, repressing labor strikes and democratic mobilizations with Stalinist mechanisms. Now Lukashenko wants to crush us. We made great mobilizations and made the power tremble. But, did not reach. The repression became stronger with the aggression against the Ukrainian brothers. Authoritarianism wants to silence the general rejection of war, but, he's not totally succeeding. We are proud of the example set by the railway workers who, clandestinely, They boycotted the transfer of Russian weapons, through our territory, towards the war fronts in Ukraine.

Freedom of association attacked in Belarus

Of the 19 al 21 April they arrested 19 representatives of the union movement. These are the leaders and employees of the office of the Congress of Democratic Trade Unions of Belarus (BKDP), as well as the leaders and activists of the SPM unions (Free Union of Metal Workers), SPB (Free Union of Belarus), REP ( Belarusian Union of Workers of the Radioelectronic Industry) belonging to the BKDP. Among them: Alexander Yaroshuk, Sergei Antusevich, Irina Bud-Gusaim, Nikolai Sharakh, Gennady Fedynich, Yana Malash, Vitaly Chichmarev, Mikhail Gromov, Vasily Beresnev, Dmitry Borodko, Alexander Evdokimchik, Miroslav Sobchuk remains behind bars. The leader of the SPM, Alexander Bukhvostov, from 80 years, was hospitalized with a heart attack. After interrogations, Igor Komlik, Elena Eskova, Anna Dus, Nikolai Gerasimenko, Vadim Payvin and Yuri Belyakov were released and are subject to a confidentiality agreement.

Repressive violence grows in Russia

In Russia, there is also more repression, Putin does not want even the slightest sign of opposition. We have already talked about the repression of the first protests that broke out immediately after the invasion. Putin's regime cannot even bear the idea of ​​a mass protest against the war. Thus, They have implemented a deterrent mechanism that is spread through the official media., until the direct action of the security forces. Not even critical oligarchs are safe as, Since the war began, seven of them have been found dead under strange circumstances..

Anyone who is not with Putin is “suspicious”

Opposition political parties are persecuted, whose activities are severely restricted. More to leftist organizations. Activists are approached at their homes or anywhere, simply under the suspicion that they are preparing a protest. And every time there are signs of army failures, repression worsens. In the meantime, we live worse and worse. Putin fights his way through repression and fear. many artists, sportsmen, social activists are considered“suspicious” and are forced to leave the country. In these days it was the opposition Maria Aliókhina, leader of the band Pussy Riot, the one who escaped from Russia without a passport and disguised as a food delivery girl, after the regime changed his house arrest to prison.

For a great movement that says No to war

We appeal to the help of the workers of the world, to progressive people, democratic and left, to redouble their support for the Ukrainian resistance from a point of view that rejects Russian imperialism, to NATO and Western imperialism,  without having hope in the neoliberal and pro-imperialist government of Zelensky. We salute the heroic Russian workers and activists who take action against war under threat, and protest against worsening living conditions. We stand in solidarity with workers and popular organizations, such as the Independent Union of Miners and the Independent Union of Belarus and others attacked.

Getting organized is a necessity of life or death

The worsening of our living conditions, war and repression make the organization that, under these circumstances, It can only be clandestine. Independently of the powerful oligarchs who exploit us and the false bourgeois opponents. The conditions of imperialist capitalism lead us down a bad path. We have to make socialist organizations, revolutionary and internationalists. Today to defend ourselves and prepare ourselves on the path of an offensive by the workers' government and socialism, without bosses or Stalinist bureaucrats.