The Way to Victory and the Tasks of the Ukrainian Left – Conference of Social Movement of Ukraine

Earlier this month, Kyiv’s Social Movement conference adopted a new resolution focused on the routes to victory against Russia’s full-scale invasion, and the task facing the Ukrainian left.

The five points of the resolution covered everything from how to honestly respond to the challenges of war, to forging international solidarity, the implications of ecocide, and the importance of recognising how working people have borne the brunt of the big war, and therefore their voices need to be heard in the plan for victory and recovery. 

The resolution’s first point – on an honest response to the challenges of war – recognises that the mobilisation of Ukraine’s economic resources to support the frontline and critical infrastructure contradicted the demands, interests and logic of oligarchy and neoliberal politics. The authors cite a reluctance by those in charge to nationalise and tax big businesses, which in turn has led to greater losses and the need for continuous mobilisation.

Instead, the resolution argues for developing the state sector of the economy so that it is focused on defence and full employment. At the same time, the resolution demands that more consideration is given to the rights of conscripts, including decent treatment, demobilisation after a defined period of service, and rehabilitation to ensure that the Ukrainian people can mentally and physically recover from the horrors of war. 

Doing so, they argue, will ease pressure on mobilisation and help forge a path to victory, as well as a healthier reconstruction.

Beyond the local focus, the second point of the resolution recognises the need for international solidarity with Ukraine, arguing that the full-scale invasion is itself a symptom of a wider global crisis created by neoliberal politics.

The inequality and exploitation that is baked into the neoliberal model has helped to undermine trust in international law and increase polarisation. The failures of some on the left to show solidarity with Ukraine against Russia’s imperialist and expansionist aggression is a clear example of that lost trust and division.

To overcome this, argues the resolution, Ukraine needs the support of the international community in the form of humanitarian and military aid, as well as a focus on how recovery and reconstruction can be achieved in a way that benefits working people, not the elites. This requires leftist solidarity from across Europe. We agree that as in partnership and solidarity with a European-wide leftist movement, Ukraine’s working people can resist a recovery and reconstruction that is built on neoliberal politics and economics.

Similarly, the resolution’s third point focuses on how division is fostered within Ukraine itself and calls for Ukraine For All – a society built on solidarity, security and equality. This includes resisting prejudice and intolerance against minority groups, and greater calls for women’s equality. 

We know that Russia’s aims for its war against the west are built on hatred and discrimination against women, LGBTQ+ people, and ethnic minority people. It has spoken of this war as being an existential battle against the so-called “decadence” of the west, and its allies in Hungary and Georgia have copied Russian attempts to repress the LGBTQ+ population, as well as mimic socially regressive policies that enforce women’s oppression.

The resolution argues that Ukraine needs to fightback against regressive politics within its own society, and foster a more open and tolerant that really is a Ukraine For All.

However, overcoming social inequality can only be achieved with economic security. It requires state investment in benefits and social support, and an end to reckless deregulation, to ensure a post-war Ukraine can move forward together as a united and equal society. 

As well as a fair transition to a more equal society, the resolution explores the need for a green transition to a society that is more robust to the impacts of the climate crisis.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has been marked not just by the destruction of human life and homes, but by ecocide. This has combined with a history of predatory exploitation of the natural world by an oligarch class. The resolution therefore recognises the need for an eco-socialist transformation that emphasises a green recovery and reconstruction, while protecting and advancing workers’ rights. However, a green recovery cannot compromise workers’ rights. This means nationalising energy companies and ensuring compensation for workers who lose their jobs during the green transition, so that Ukraine’s recovery can and will protect the rights of workers while tackling the climate crisis. 

The final point in the resolution recognises that it is the Ukrainian people who have been the beating heart in the resistance against Russian aggression – and it is therefore the working people who have shouldered the main burden of war. 

These are working people who urgently need a left-wing political force to voice their concerns, fears, hopes and problems. The resolution recognises that in order to achieve a just, green transition, an equal and tolerant society, international solidarity, and an honest response to war, there must be a political and democratic platform that can unite workers and other oppressed groups, representing their interests in local and national politics. 

We know that corruption, censorship and abuses of office are harmful to any country, but they are particularly harmful to a country at war. They undermine trust and therefore undermine an effective defence. Ukraine is fighting a war against an imperialist and authoritarian regime that hates freedom, justice and equality. In order to win, Ukraine must fight for those same ideals of freedom, justice and equality – as the resolution states, “freedom is the basis of security for all citizens.”

The Ukraine Solidarity Campaign recognises the challenges Ukraine faces in building a fair and democratic society that promotes green policies, workers’ rights, and an end to discrimination against minority groups. But we also believe that as an international workers’ movement standing in solidarity with Ukrainian workers and trade unionists, we can build that free and fair future together.