Also, what is the evidence that the War in Donbass was an act of genocide on the part of Ukraine, and that Ukraine had provoked Russia? Once again, I am asking in good faith, I am merely looking for the truth.
I’ve answered this before. Copypastaing myself.
Honest question from a non-communist, based on your reply here. Does one need to support Putin to be a Marxist?
In a word, no. In a few more words, support for Russia (not Putin, as historical materialists don’t subscribe to great man theory) is only a partial, temporary, tactical one, in the context of imperialist liberation. Russia is still a capitalist state, though, so it’s a two stage strategy: first liberate colonized bourgeois states from colonizer states, and second revolution within those liberated bourgeois states.
Russia is an interesting case: it has already liberated itself from the post-Soviet “shock therapy” neocolonizers. This occurred during Putin’s administration, which is why he is especially hated by the US. So now the support for Russia is in the context of keeping the colonizers from recolonizing it, and supporting Russia to the extent that it helps other states liberate themselves. But Russia isn’t trying to “liberate” Ukraine, at least not all of Ukraine. It’s trying to resolve the genocidal attacks on the people of the Donbas, and it’s trying to resolve the imperialist military expansion at its border.
Also, Ukraine really does have a fascism problem and has for a long time, and the coup government has materially supported it.
- BBC, 2014: Ukraine underplays role of far right in conflict
- Human Rights Watch, 2014: Ukraine: Unguided Rockets Killing Civilians
- The Hill, 2017: The reality of neo-Nazis in Ukraine is far from Kremlin propaganda
- The Guardian, 2017: ‘I want to bring up a warrior’: Ukraine’s far-right children’s camp – video
- WaPo, 2018: The war in Ukraine is more devastating than you know
- Reuters, 2018: Ukraine’s neo-Nazi problem
- The Nation, 2019: Neo-Nazis and the Far Right Are On the March in Ukraine
- openDemocracy, 2019: Why Ukraine’s new language law will have long-term consequences
- Jacobin, 2022: A US-Backed, Far Right–Led Revolution in Ukraine Helped Bring Us to the Brink of War
- Consortium News, 2022: Evidence of US-Backed Coup in Kiev
- Al Jazeera, 2022: Why did Ukraine suspend 11 ‘pro-Russia’ parties?
- History of Fascism in Ukraine: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV
While I do prefer the Russian Federation over Ukraine’s régime, I am reluctant to term this preference ‘support’, unless you think that dismissing various demonizations of the Russian Federation counts as such. Materially, I’ve never supported the Russian Federation with anything, but I do defend it against demonizations since demonizations are exactly what make lower‐class people think that it’s okay to continue wasting their tax dollars on a neoimperialist client state: the Ukrainian government.
As much as I loathe the Russian government, its invasion of Ukraine was not a naked power grab in the style of WWI, but the inevitable consequence of the Western bourgeoisie breaking its promise not to continue expanding eastward. The Western bourgeoisie has spelled out for decades its long‐term goal of balkanizing the Russian Federation, and many Ukrainian neofascists have done likewise. Such a partition would only benefit the Western upper classes at the lower classes’ expense.
For me, the goal is not so much to ‘support Russia’ per se as it is to weaken neoimperialism and hopefully convince others to stop giving up their resources to a neoimperialist client state when those resources could be better spent on services and products that we need here and now as lower‐class North Americans. I suppose that somebody could argue that I’m splitting hairs here since opposing neoimperialism effectively means supporting the Russian Federation, but I think that saying ‘I support Russia’ would be too vague and misleading to be helpful.
We do not support Russia (it’s pretty shit), but Russia’s victory would be better for socialism by undermining American hegemony and destroying extremely anticommunist regime in Kiev.
Because the country suffered an American coup d’état in 2014. The coup was used to install an anti-Russian government and repress progressive forces, like the Communist Party of Ukraine. After 2014, Ukraine ceased to be an independent country, and became a proxy of the US. A proxy to be used in Washington’s strategy of encircling and destroying Russia. This war was always going to happens, but Russia invaded Ukraine to make sure it happens on Russia’s terms, instead of American.
Also imo, the dream of an independent Ukraine is long gone. Because of US interference, Ukraine can only survive by being a part of Russia, or by remaining a lackey of the US and EU.
In addition to the answers you’ve gotten already, here’s some links that may be of interest to you.
How did the whole war in the Donbas start? Why did Donets and Luhansk declare independence?
According to Lenin’s definition of imperialism, is the Russian Federation imperialist?
PSL Statement on Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine
Most of these links are a few years old already, but at a glance they appear to me to still be relevant. I’m unfortunately busy with work so I can’t take a more in-depth look at the moment, but hopefully this will still be of some value.
FYI The links for both are the same(https://lemmygrad.ml/post/232469):
How did the whole war in the Donbas start? Why did Donets and Luhansk declare independence?
According to Lenin’s definition of imperialism, is the Russian Federation imperialist?
