24 February: One year of Russian invasion of Ukraine

Putin's powerful army has failed to defeat the Ukrainian resistance. The workers and the people intervene decisively in the defense of their sovereignty. The actions of the old and new imperialisms make it impossible to rule out the possibility of another world war. Faced with this reality, the international socialist league (LIS) deploys a principled policy.

By Rubén Tzanoff

Fighting on the territory of Donbass took place from the 2014 al 2016, They later turned into isolated skirmishes.. He 24 February 2022 President Vladimir Putin's threats, led to the invasion of Ukraine. With the“special military operation” The Russian command hoped to impose an unconditional surrender within days. Nevertheless, ran into Ukrainian resistance that prevented a lightning victory.

"Denazification" an excuse to occupy territories

For the summer of 2022, Russia occupied more than 80 thousand km² of Ukrainian territory. If Crimea and the part of Donbass occupied between 2014 Y 2015, The control of invaders covers an area of 125 mil km², around the 20% of the Ukrainian territory. In the fall of 2022, This percentage decreased a little, but it's still significant.

Attempts to pass off the opinions of far-right sectors as popular are part of the misleading and exaggerated Russian propaganda. Behind the excuse of “denazification” the Russian armyinstall barbarism in the towns it occupies and in those it abandons.  

A massive and popular resistance

The determining factor of the resistance lies in the determined participation of the workers and the people in the defense of their country.. Self-organization has expressions both on the combat fronts and in the rear., where the civilian population endurescriminal bombings. Ukraine fights a just war, that of an oppressed country facing aggression from the Russian Federation, an imperialist and oppressive country. For this, resistance to invasion has the right to defend itself with all available means at its disposal.

The double character of war

Away from bourgeois expressionscombines two processes at the same time: the just defense of Ukrainian sovereignty and the intensification of inter-imperialist friction between the NATO powers and the emerging imperialisms of Russia and China. From this characterization, the axes that determine policy emerge: the need to support the resistance for the expulsion of Russian troops from Ukraine and not to support any of the competing imperialisms.

Blurred “red lines”

Western imperialism supports Zelensky politically, That's why Joe Biden visited him in kyiv. It also provides him with financial resources and supplies him with weapons.. moment, The powers in dispute have drawn some “red lines” that, although they are becoming less and less clear, still recognize as limits. For example, NATO's non-direct intervention with its troops and the refusal to give Zelensky the strategic and modern weapons he requests. Beyond eventualities, The concrete thing is that the war is spreading and the possibility of a ceasefire agreement does not appear on the scene today..

So that there is a just peace and not a war escalation

This reality makes it impossible to completely rule out the possibility of an escalation of war that would lead to World War III.. So that there is self-determination of the people, a just peace and that another general conflict does not break out, it is necessary to demand the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine and the withdrawal of NATO from Eastern Europe. The military blocs of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Collective Security Treaty Organization must be dissolved. As long as they exist, Mutual threats will continue wielding their nuclear arsenals and the danger of a disaster for humanity will be latent.. This week Putin raised it again by announcing the suspension of Russian participation in the latest strategic disarmament treaty and announcing the upcoming entry into operation of the new Sarmat intercontinental missiles..    

Lanti worker eyes, social inequality and corruption

Movements on the international stage should not hide what is happening inside Ukraine between the government and the working class. There, the parliamentary majority of Zelensky's party, The Servant of the People, approved the lawsN.º 5,371 y N.º. 3.663 that liquidated elementary labor rights. Social inequality is worsening and government corruption is scandalous. The government justifies any unpopular measure with the excuse of the invasion.

A principled policy with internationalist activity and an urgent need

After one year of invasion, the International Socialist League claimsthe whole policy that has deployed. Reaffirms the commitment to continue calling for the unity of the peoples in struggle and to achievesolidarity campaigns. Like the one that organized mobilizations at the Russian embassies, collected funds for the “Zakhist Pratsi” Union and carried outactivities in kyiv, Bucha and Irpín. 

Given the sufferings of war and those generated by the capitalist economic crisis, We stand in particular solidarity with Eastern European activists. With the Russian and Belarusian comrades who areagainst war and they reject thedictatorial-neo-Stalinist regimes of Putin and Lukashenko. And with the Ukrainian comrades who formpart of the resistance and build the Ukrainian Socialist League. Throughout the world, the need to build revolutionary socialist organizations and promote the international regrouping of revolutionaries becomes increasingly urgent., how the LIS does it.