DOSSIER UKRAINE

IN THIS DOSSIER ON UKRAINE:

1) Ukraine: After the May 11 "Popular Referendum" -- By Dominique Ferré [reprinted from the May 14-20 issue of Informations ouvrières (Labor News), the weekly newspaper of the Independent Workers Party (POI) of France.]

2) Ukraine on the Brink of War; Military Attack on Cities in the East, Pogrom in Odessa -- By Dominique Ferré [reprinted from the May 7-13 issue of Informations ouvrières (Labor News), the weekly newspaper of the Independent Workers Party (POI) of France.]

3) Any Interference Is Illegitimate -- Editorial of Issue No. 300 (May 7-13, 2014) of Informations ouvrières (Labor News), the weekly newspaper of the Independent Workers Party of France (POI).

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1) UKRAINE:

After the May 11 "Popular Referendum"

[reprinted from the May 14-20 issue of Informations ouvrières (Labor News), the weekly newspaper of the Independent Workers Party (POI) of France.]

By Dominique Ferré

Whatever point of view one may have on the nature of the May 11 "popular referendum" in the provinces of east Ukraine (the mining and industrial coalfields of Donbass), no one can deny that something significant took place.

Even the French daily Le Monde -- which lauded the "Euromaiden" protests and the government that it produced, while denouncing the "pro-Russian separatists" -- had to recognize that "the referendum in the Dombass was a popular success" that demonstrated the will of "a population that massively rejects the Kiev government."

For its part, the French daily Le Figaro stated, "Although it was legally non-binding, the Sunday poll is far from being void of political meaning." The French magazine Nouvel Observateur's reporter in Ukraine stated the organization of the vote was "outlandish and improvised. . . . The former voter lists, made up year after year according to the humour of the local authorities, are outdated. The voters wrote their names by hand, on blank slips of paper. The monitoring of the voting was rather touch-and-go." But the reporter nevertheless went on to admit one fact: Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians went to the polls, sometimes queuing up for hours to vote. And the overwhelming majority voted "yes" to the question that was asked, in both Russian and Ukrainian, concerning "the declaration of the sovereignty of the Popular Republic of Donestsk."

It is obvious that, among the organizers of this "popular referendum" (as among the organizers of the demonstrations, from Odessa to Donbass), there are diverse forces, some of them linked to the local oligarchs, some to the Russian government (1). But what motivated the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians to vote?

"A scent of class struggle . . . "

The reporter for the Nouvel Observateur went so far as to say: "There is something in this referendum that has a scent of class struggle. The poor against the wealthy . . . convinced at last of getting a shot at taking their revenge. . . . The resentment against the capital city [Kiev] is much more social than political." Pointing to the example of an industrial city of 60,000 people, the reporter said, "It breathes anger, the feeling of displacement and frustration. There are only two of the region's 12 coal mines left and 'Kiev is going to close them, for sure.' Here, everyone is convinced that all the wealth of the region is being plundered by the country's capital. Most of the factories that are still operating are on temporary shut down, or are surviving only thanks to government subsidies. The average wages are no more than 12,000 grivas (120 euros) per month. 'No one listens to us, no one cares about us,' sighed Natalia Ivanovna, who was in charge of the local polls. 'Up there, they look down on us. But this time, we have made our voices heard.'"

What was expressed this May 11 is the disapproval and mistrust by the Donbass workers, miners, unemployed and retired pensioners of a government in the service of the International Monetary Fund and whose first austerity measures have just taken effect. These measures are deadly, such as -- for example -- the 50% increase in the price of natural gas that has just hit all the workers of Ukraine.

This is a government that has fueled provocations, such as the massacre that occurred on May 2 in Odessa (46 deaths), creating a climate of terror and dislocation. It is a government which, unwilling to place its trust in its own army, brought in 400 mercenaries from the U.S. private security company Academi (2) and from the "National Guard", which is made up of thugs from the far-right "Pravyi Sektor" to attack the cities and towns of eastern Ukraine.

After May 11, even the partisans of the IMF, NATO and the European Union have been forced to recognize that what is happening in the east of the Ukraine cannot be reduced to outside manipulation. And what was expressed on May 11 is directly related to the resistance of the peoples and workers of all of Europe against the plans of the IMF, the European Union and the governments that are implementing those plans.

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Endnotes

(1) Vladimir Putin had asked the leaders of the "Popular Republic of Donetsk" to postpone the referendum, declaring at the same time that the Ukrainian presidential election of May 25 was "a step in the right direction." Meanwhile, the U.S. and European Union leaders announced that they recognized "no legitimacy" to the vote of May 11. According to them, all that matters will be the presidential election of May 25, which aims to give democratic legitimacy to the new ruling powers, under the thumb of the IMF and NATO. The date was not picked randomly; it needed to coincide with the "Parliamentary" European elections of May 25.

(2) The Academi (ex-Blackwater) mercenaries are known for having committed war crimes against the population of Iraq. This information was published in the German newspapers Bild and Der Spiegel, who quoted sources from the BND (the German secret service).

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2) Ukraine on the Brink of War

Military Attack on Cities in the East, Pogrom in Odessa

[reprinted from the May 7-13 issue of Informations ouvrières (Labor News), the weekly newspaper of the Independent Workers Party (POI) of France.]

By Dominique Ferré

A feeling of "déjà vu"?

There was the "anti-terrorist" attack levelled by the army of Ukraine against the population of industrial regions in the east of Ukraine (30 people killed in Slaviansk on May 6), and there was the full-scale slaughter organised on May 2 at the Trade Union hall in Odessa (46 people killed, some burnt alive others executed, shot in the head -- including a pregnant woman -- by the far-right "Praviy Sektor" thugs).

Those facts bring to mind the tragedy which, more than 20 years ago, triggered the war that carved up and tore Yugoslavia to pieces. Another common point with the tragedy in Yugoslavia is the programme of drastic measures against the population dictated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The first of those measures took effect on May 1. It's a blow against the whole population of Ukraine, east and west. With the end of State-subsidised prices for gas, households will have to face a 50% hike. Three other price increases are scheduled by 2017, according to the April 28 IMF survey.

Newspapers are constantly featuring the following headline: "Ukraine is on the brink of war." The phrase is repeated by the United States and every European government. But who is to blame? True, not every one of the bloody events in Odessa or Slaviansk has been "masterminded". But what is the driving force pushing towards the clash and the carving up of the country?

Is it Russia? That is what Obama, Merkel, and Hollande are claiming. Yet, on May 5 Putin declared that "the dialogue between Kyjiv (Kiev) and the south-eastern regions should be resumed". For their part, the NATO generals prepared their counter-move: "General Breedlove explained that he had thought, till a week ago, that Russia was probably going to deploy its troops in the south of Ukraine . . . but he has changed his mind. He explained: 'Today I do not think this is the most likely scenario; Putin could reach his objectives in the east of Ukraine without having his troops cross the borders'". . . . But the blame for all the evils is still being laid on Russia!

And yet, one fact has, till now, never been disproved by anybody in Washington: Quoting sources from German intelligence services, the May 4 issue of the German newspaper Bild states that dozens of CIA and FBI agents are helping the government of Ukraine "to stamp out the rebellion in the east of Ukraine and to set up an efficient security mechanism". According to Bild, "the agents have not been directly engaged in the clashes with the pro-Russia separatists: they have restricted their actions to the capital city of Kiev".

The fact that this information was released by a mainstream German newspaper shows that there is a crisis among the allies of the U.S. government. Obviously, some of the German bosses do not exactly see eye to eye with Washington's policies in Ukraine, nor with the sanctions against Russia. Similar cracks even appear in the summits of U.S. institutions: thus, in its May 2 edition, the Wall Street Journal advocates more direct, military intervention of the United States Š and criticises Obama for the "meek" sanctions decided on till now.

Beyond all these aspects of the crisis, the policies of the U.S. and the European Union governments (among them the "socialist" French government) are responsible for the extension of war on the European continent. After encouraging the most reactionary forces that are now in power in Kiev, they are responsible for all the escalation and provocations that could very well cause a bloodbath in the region.

"Let the devils burn in hell. . . . We must make war on those slaves inside our borders and get rid of them. Let us cheer our warriors." This is what Irina Faryon, deputy of the far-right party Svoboda in the Rada (parliament) of Ukraine declared after the pogrom in which 46 anti-government demonstrators lost their lives in the fire at the Trade Union Hall in Odessa. This person is supposed to report to Parliament on the issue of languages, and she repeatedly lashes out against half the people of Ukraine, those whose native language is Russian (mostly living in the east of the country and in Kiev).

And yet we are asked to believe that the sorcerer's apprentices in Washington and Brussels who are sponsoring such persons are not responsible for this "Yugoslavia-like" scenario?

Nobody can foretell how things will turn out in the days to come. One thing is certain, a "Yugoslavia-like" war on the doorstep of the European Union and of the Federation of Russia, caused by a government of mercenaries in the pay of the IMF and of the European Union, would be a blow not only to the people of Ukraine but to all the peoples of the region, east and west of Ukraine.

In the industrial and mining regions of eastern Ukraine, where demonstrations are continuing against the government of Kiev, the correspondent of Le Nouvel Observateur asks: "What if the miners rise up?" She notes that a large number of them are taking part in the demonstrations against the government, "yet, for the time being, they do not make up the largest contingents". Leaving the mines -- which afford privileged positions -- is out of the question in a region that is badly plagued by unemployment. "The boss cut no corners and told us that we would be fired if we failed to show up for one single day," Vadim, 24, acknowledged regretfully though he is eager to settle accounts with those "fascists from Kyjiv/Kiev". On April 23 and 24, several thousands of them downed their tools in Krasnodon against the sacking of 30 co-workers who had taken part in the demonstrations. On May 4, metal workers at a factory that belongs to oligarch Rinat Akhemetov in Yenakievo, downed their tools. . . . Through their concrete action, on the working class ground, they belied the declarations of some of their leaders who, a few days ago, announced that "the miners are going to settle accounts with the separatists" and who allied themselves with the government - the very same government which, sooner or later, will shed tens of thousands of mining jobs on behalf of the IMF.

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3) Any Interference Is Illegitimate

[Editorial of Issue No. 300 -- May 7-13, 2014 - of Informations ouvrières (Labor News), the weekly newspaper of the Independent Workers Party of France (POI).]

"The Ukrainian government has the right and responsibility to uphold law and order within its territory." These were the words used by Obama to justify the massacre at the Trade Unions House in Odessa [see article above by Dominique Ferré] just a few hours after it had been carried out. And while the number of U.S. troops stationed in neighboring countries was being increased, an editorial in The Wall Street Journal called for the United States to supply Ukraine with heavy weapons and even to participate in the military offensive.

It must be stated clearly: The Obama administration, the European Union and the governments that comprise it bear the responsibility for this descent into social explosion and war.

They are the ones who, month after month, have fueled the events that have led to the appointment of a "government" in Kiev (including sectors of the far-right) that is doing the bidding of the European Union and the IMF.

Of course, there are contradictions. Some are pushing for war, others would prefer to stick with sanctions, financial pressure and threats. But all of them consider it legitimate for the European Union, the United States or the governments of various capitalist countries to seize the fate of Ukraine into their own hands. By what right? To what end? (1)

The Hollande-Valls government in France is directly involved. This government is giving up any claim to sovereignty as it accompanies the dismantling of Alstom and every national industry for the benefit of finance capital, mainly U.S.-owned. This government is sending its Finance Minister Sapin to Brussels to submit its plan to the European Union for 50 billion euros in cuts under the Responsibility Pact - which the EU judges to be insufficient. Logically, this same government, together with the European Union and the IMF, is trying to deny any form of sovereignty to other peoples, from Ukraine to Mali, to the Central African Republic and so on. All this in order to satisfy the demands of finance capital - multinationals, bankers and speculators - whose "world order" boils down to their inalienable right to pillage countries and impose their dictatorship.

The workers and peoples reject war. Faced with factory closures and austerity, the workers and people in France have the same interests as the workers and people of Ukraine, who are being hit with a 50-percent rise in the price of gas and are facing the threat of the privatization-destruction of the coal-mines.

In Ukraine as in France, the workers and peoples have no other choice than to fight against the European Union, which some people were only recently presenting as a "factor for peace" but which is nothing more than an instrument of war and disintegration.

Any interference by France, be it military, economic, political or diplomatic, is illegitimate. As for the European Union, that factor for war and disintegration: it must disappear. It is on this condition that all the peoples, in France, Ukraine and throughout the continent, can reclaim their sovereignty and establish relations of peace and fraternity between themselves, having rid themselves of the chains oppression and exploitation.

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Endnote

(1) This is not about Putin and his regime that serves the capitalists' interests, any more than it was about Qaddafi or Saddam Hussein when the big imperialist powers intervened in Iraq and Libya to drive out regimes which they had been supporting for decades, replacing them with never-ending chaos.