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No to aggression
in Ukraine |
Russian people,
down with Putin!
Solidarity with Ukrainian people!
(1)
Under the orders of the war-crazy president Vladimir Putin,
Russian forces started a full-scale armed aggression on February 24th in
the whole of Ukraine.
Putin called the armed groups of Donetsk and Lugansk from
eastern Ukraine to Moscow and recognized the independence of the 'Donetsk
People's Republic' and the 'Lugansk People's Republic' (February 21st).
Under the pretext that Russia was requested by these two 'states', he launched
military aggression against Ukraine. Russian forces rushed into Ukraine
from the three directions of the Russian mainland, Belarus and Crimea,
while destroying Ukraine's military facilities and airports by missile
and cyber attacks. They gained control of the Chernobyl nuclear plant,
and now are advancing into Kiev to seize the capital. They are shooting
missiles into apartment houses where citizens live, intentionally, to threaten
Ukrainian people.
Putin declared that Russia would achieve the 'demilitarization
and de-Nazification' of Ukraine. It is apparent that Putin's ambition is
to control the whole of the country and conduct operations to decapitate
the existing government, thus setting up a puppet government.
In the face of these brutalities, Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelensky is calling on the people to rise in 'all-out resistance', while
shouting grievously: 'What is happening here in Ukraine will also happen
in other European countries', but 'none of the great powers helps our country.'
He has issued an order for general mobilization and prohibited all men
aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country, thereby mobilizing them for combats.
The fire of war Putin has set is about to sink Ukrainian people
into seas of blood.
(2)
Confronted with Russia, the imperialist US president Joe Biden
ignored Russia's demand for 'no eastern expansion of NATO' and said as
early as last December that he was not considering sending US troops to
Ukraine (one day after the summit meeting with Putin on December 7th).
By so doing, the erstwhile 'sole superpower' once again revealed its drastic
decline, as we the JRCL have already exposed.
Incidentally, the Kishida-led Japanese government is terribly
shocked at the emergence of the 'Ukrainian crisis' because Japan's self-sufficiency
in energy is lower than 7%. The Japanese PM can do nothing but reiterate
that 'international cooperation' is needed in response to such attempts
as to change the existing international order by force.
On the other hand, despite the fact that Putin emphasized
over and over again his position that 'the collapse of the USSR, together
with the eastern expansion of NATO, was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe
of the twentieth century', European rulers were not even able to catch
on to what he meant, for, since the collapse of the 'socialist USSR', they
have been intoxicated with their blind belief that 'economic democratization'
would surely lead to 'political democratization'. That is why they have
gone pale at the war of aggression launched by today's Hitler, Putin.
It was only after it became apparent that Putin was ambitious
to effectively incorporate Ukraine into Russia, that American, European
and Japanese rulers decided - while supplying some amount of weapons -
to exclude a certain number of Russian banks from the SWIFT, the international
network for transactions and payments among banks (which links more than
11,000 financial institutions and settles an average of 5 trillion US dollars
per day) (February 27th).
It is inevitable that exclusion of Russian banks and companies
from the SWIFT network will in turn cause a lot of damage to European and
other countries, whose energy supplies depend on Russia. Even so, they
could not but decide on it, as economic sanctions such as this are the
only measure that they can take to counter Putin, who threatens them by
saying, 'You must be aware that Ukraine's participation in NATO means for
Russia to wage a war with NATO over the possession of Crimea.' 'Russia
is still a strongest nuclear holder. It's clear that those who attack on
us shall meet miserable consequences.'
In this conjuncture, Xi-led China is imprudently saying that
the Ukrainian issue has a 'complex' history and that China understands
Russia's 'legitimate concerns' on security (Foreign Minister Wang Yi),
or that 'Sanctions are never fundamental or effective ways to solve problems'
(China's foreign ministry). China abstained from voting for a United Nation's
resolution to condemn Russia.
Apparently, Russia and China had made advance arrangements
with each other on the invasion of Ukraine.
(3)
Ukraine has been wavering between pro-western and pro-Russian
governments. What is motivating Putin to incorporate this country is, first,
his 'Great Russianism', which sees Russia (great Russia), Ukraine (small
Russia) and Belarus (white Russia) as one nation. Armed annexation of Ukraine
means realization of this chauvinistic nationalism.
The second reason is that, in order to rebuild the ruinous
Russian economy, it is necessary to incorporate Ukraine, a large country
that has a rich granary with thriving industries supported by Western capital.
Today's Russia is on the verge of catastrophe in its economy,
which can only be called 'quasi-capitalism' because of the state capitalism
that is deformed under the authoritarian ruling system helmed by the Federal
Security Service (FSB), as will be referred to later. 70% of Russian exports
are oil (world's third in production) and natural gas (world's second),
with the rest including weapons and wheat. The Russian economy has barely
survived with the high prices of oil since 1999.
This originated in the historical fact that, in the former
USSR, the industrial structure was divided by republic and region.
Third, for this reason, since immediately after the collapse
of the USSR, Russia had kept pressing the former constituent republics
to have closer economic relationships with Russia. But, the more Russia
pressed them, the more strongly the pressure encouraged nationalist and
secessionist drive.
In order to break through such an impasse, the Russian state
power took a policy to promote the migration of Russians to the former
USSR republics with the aim of ruling non-Russian people. This is exactly
the implementation of Great Russianism. Because of this, ethnic conflicts
between Russians and non-Russians flared up across the former USSR. The
Russian government has been suppressing the rebellions of people against
Great Russianism by coercive measures, the same measures as taken in the
era of the Stalinist USSR, such as of setting up a puppet government and
of dividing the territories of republics to incorporate them into the Russian
sphere.
(4)
In his televized address, Putin said that 'Lenin and his associates
[Bolsheviks] created modern Ukraine ... by separating, severing what is
historically Russian land', and that '[in 1922, whereas Stalin suggested
building the country on the principles of autonomisation], Lenin criticized
this plan and suggested making concessions to the nationalists'. Putin
thus said, 'Why was it necessary to appease the nationalists?'
But Putin's abuse at Lenin betrayed that this person is nothing
but a snob that pretends to be a tsar of Russia.
As regards national questions, we, as Marxists, should inherit
the course of 'separation, then federation' and the principle that 'a nation
cannot become free and at the same time continue to oppress other nations',
which is a tradition of Marx and Engels. The state under the dictatorship
of the proletariat in the period of transition to socialism must fully
accept the right of nations to self-determination, including their separation
(for unification), and at the same time base itself on international ties
among the working class by overcoming national differences. And because
of this, Lenin argued that the name of the federation should be the Union
of the Soviet Republics of Europe and Asia, that the Union Central Executive
Committee should be presided over in turn by representatives of all the
uniting republics, and that each republic should reserve the right to freely
secede from membership of the Union; he would never make any concessions
on these three points.
However, Stalin schemed to incorporate not only Ukraine and
Belarus but even Caucasian nations into the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist
Republic (RSFSR). He introduced a rating among nations and classified them
into republics, autonomous republics, autonomous provinces and autonomous
regions, thereby building up a bureaucratically centralized system. Although
Lenin was seized with apoplexy and paralyzed on one side, he contended
with Stalin. It was over this issue that he left a will that Stalin should
be removed from the post of General Secretary.
Nevertheless, Putin insists that the Ukrainian impudence is
attributable to Lenin! Putin was a KGB officer charged with missions in
the former East Germany, where he saw firsthand the 'collapse of the Berlin
Wall'. As to his criminal past as a Stalinist, he is not in the least ashamed.
No thought or philosophy is relevant to this person. He is no more than
a petty Stalin who poses as a tsar.
Workers and toiling people in Russia! Now is the time to overthrow
the warmonger Putin government!
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, your country under
the rule of Boris Yeltsin, who attempted the restoration of capitalism,
suffered from hyperinflation with prices becoming thirty times higher,
terrible increase in unemployment, an absurdly uneven distribution of supplies
and the collapse of the distribution structure, rampancy of the economic
Mafia, and the barter economy - indeed, all the misery in 'ruinous Russia'.
And here came Putin, who took over power from Yeltsin. To
begin with, he engineered plots, blasted buildings in Moscow as many as
five times and, by framing up 'Chechen terrorist attacks', drove Chechen
people into seas of blood. He also imprisoned the top of Yukos, Russia's
biggest private oil company backed by Western capital, on suspicion of
tax evasion, thus taking over that company. Moreover, by sending so-called
Siloviks (such as former intelligence officers, servicemen and security
force members) to state-run oil companies and other enterprises, he usurped
state properties. He also sent his cronies to broadcasting stations and
newspaper companies. In this way, he has established an authoritarian ruling
system helmed by the FSB.
Workers and toiling people in Russia! Without toppling the
FSB-helmed authoritarian system with Putin as its head, there is no future
for Russia. The path that leads to resurrection from 'miserable Russia'
can never be found in nostalgia for or a return to the era of Stalin and
his descendants who wielded their influence in the latter half of the 20th
century world. It lies precisely in the awakening to the falsehood of Stalinism
- which is, in fact, pseudo-Marxism - and in the reviving, in this dark
21st century, of the age of the Russian revolution led by Lenin, revolution
that gave the world working class hope, courage and their ideals.
Workers and toiling people in Ukraine who are courageously
waging resistance against the invading army!
The aim of Putin, a devotee of Great Russianism who abhors
the Russian revolution, is to annex Ukraine to Russia or to make it a subject
state. Such a plot must be totally shattered! Ukrainian people, put up
resistance in unity to shatter this scheme! Against the occupation of cities,
fight back with general strikes!
Your enemy is the armed forces of Russia that Putin has dispatched;
it is not the people of Russia! Call on the Russian workers and toiling
masses to bring down the Putin government, to build solidarity among peoples!
This is exactly what Putin the evil murderer is most afraid of.
Workers and toiling people of Ukraine, sons and daughters
of those who joined the Russian revolution as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist
Republic about a century ago! Call to mind that great revolutionary spirit
and, together with the people of Russia, turn the war into revolution!
We call on people all over the world. Rise now in antiwar
struggle!
American people! Recollect and be aware that the present war
launched by Putin-led Russia bears a close resemblance to that war started
by Bush against Muslim people, and that in reality it can be traced back
to that war! Keep this in mind and stand up in a resolute antiwar struggle!
We call on European people. Be awakened to it that the situation
now developing is quite similar to that during the Second World War where
'Nazi madness' devastated the world! Based on this insight, stand up in
a resolute fight!
And we call on people in China. Denounce your Xi government
in indignation for defending those brutalities committed by Putin, today's
Hitler!
(5)
Russia's war of aggression that has taken place now in Ukraine
must be seen as representing a new phase in the development of today's
world structure into a new East-West cold war, which was drastically laid
bare amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The dramatic decline of the militarist empire of America as
the erstwhile 'sole superpower', the ensuing entry into the era of the
US-China confrontation, and its rapid development into a new East-West
cold war - in the middle of these seismic changes, a crisis is growing
rapidly - crisis that may ignite a Third World War triggered by head-on
clashes between imperialist America and China with Russia. This crisis
of war, moreover, is pregnant with a danger of becoming a nuclear war with
'usable nukes' used in reality.
We the JRCL (RMF) have seen into the crisis of today's world,
revealed its essence, sounded alarm bells, and have consistently been calling
on the working class and people all over the world to rise in fightbacks
against the imposition of wars, tyrannies and poverty by both imperialist
rulers and those of neo-Stalinist China and 'ruinous' Russia. In the face
of the Hungarian revolution that flared up in the October of 1956, the
anti-Stalinist revolutionary movement in Japan thoroughly revealed that
the USSR was no more than an anti-Marxist, false 'socialist state'. Since
then, it has been fighting for the overcoming of Stalinism and the creation
of a genuine communist movement. And now, we are advancing struggles against
Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine under the orders of Putin as a descendant
of Stalin, while resolutely denouncing the Japanese Stalinist party for
issuing only trifling statements in response to the Ukrainian crisis, such
as that 'Russia and NATO are both anachronistic' and that it requests 'for
a multipolar diplomacy'.
Working people all over the world! Rise in antiwar struggles
to break through the crisis of war amid the new East-West cold war! Based
on the strategy of 'anti-imperialism, anti-Stalinism' for world revolution,
let us fight to change this dark 21st century into a proletarian century!
Let us fight together! (February
27th, 2022)
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See the JRCL leaflet, PDF
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