Russian invasion of Ukraine reader

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to take it’s brutal toll on this country population and infrastructure, there still seem to be a lot of confusion , especially in the West, about who is the aggressor and whether such a blatant act of imperialism is actually imperialism.

There are doubts whether it should be resisted, what is to be done, a lot of westplaining is going on, often regurgitating talking points of Russian propaganda or how “both sides are equally bad”. That’s obviously not even mentioning authoritarian “left” which is pretty much cheerleading the invasion as a “counter to US imperialism” or offers disgusting whataboutism every time Russia is mentioned, with their “but what about NATO/USA…” lines. As if being against Western imperialism somehow means that we have to deny existence of any other imperialism or make excuses for it.

For all those confused by the situation and wanting to know more, we present a collection of perspectives from the region, that hopefully should clarify some issues. Rather than reading what some “experts “ far away from the war have to say, please read what comrades in the area have to say. This is by far not everything that was written on the subject , but we picked articles, interviews and analysis that in our opinion are most interesting. They are not in any particular order of importance.

Background

Ukraine: Between Two Fires
Anarchists in the Region on the Looming Threat of War

This in depth article from Crimethinc examines situation just before the outbreak of war, how anarchist from the region looked at the developing situation and how they were preparing. Very important text to grasp background of the situation from anarchist point of view.

War and Anarchists: Anti-Authoritarian Perspectives in Ukraine

Another important contribution to the background of current war, going back to Maidan and before, annexation of Crimea, war in Donbas etc. Essential read.

War

Excellent article by veterans of Ukrainian anarchist movement, describing both history and the current situation and addressing things like Western left etc.

In this long read Czech Antifa explain their perspective on the Ukrainian conflict, critique primarily Western logics surrounding much of the debate which has emerged, and address what they see as forms of colonial hangover which have hamstrung responses to Russian imperialism. Excellent work by Czech comrades!

Interview with members of Resistance Committee conducted by Swedish antifascists

An interview with socialist activist Taras Bilous about attitudes of the left towards the war in Ukraine

Russian anarchists speak about the war and situation inside Russia

Oksana Dutchak examines most common leftists arguments against supporting Ukrainian resistance

Good overview of leftists volunteer effort during the war , with different left and anarchist activists describing different aspects of their work, changes in Ukrainian society etc.

Analysis of one of the participant of Anti-authoritarian Platoon about units life and what lessons were learned during it’s existence.

Very interesting interview with Russian partisans from BOAK group about their struggle and situation inside Russia, prospects for future etc.

Belarusian anarchists from Pramen group explain their position towards the war. With Belarus being actively involved in the Russian war effort but also with so many Belarusians fighting in Ukraine against the invasion, perspectives from there are very important.

Interview with Yuri Samoilov of the Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine– great interview highlighting how the war affected workers rights in Ukraine, what challenges militant trade unionists face etc.

In the following text, a collective of Syrian exiles and their comrades think through how their experiences in the Syrian Revolution can inform efforts to support the resistance to the invasion in Ukraine and the anti-war movement in Russia.

A Response on Ukraine and “No War But Class War”

Contribution from Czech comrades to ongoing discussion in anarchist circles about what to do and how to approach this war.

Another interesting contribution to the debate is on the Crimethinc website in article „A response on Ukraine”

Manifesto of solidarity network formed by anarchists in Ukraine and elsewhere in order to facilitate material aid and support to comrades fighting and also to humanitarian efforts.

Videos:

YouTube channel of Solidarity Collectives

Anarchists against Putin – good reportage by Alexis Daloumis from the beginning of the war, with lots of interviews etc.

Ukraine: Revolutionaries at War is another short documentary about leftists activists of all sorts who decided to take up the arms and explores their politics and their motivations.

Russia’s Anti-Putin Underground is an excellent mini-documentary by Popular Front , which interviews partisans from BOAK group in Russia