Thu Mar 28, 2024
March 28, 2024

On Yanukovych’s fall in Ukraine

Yanukovych is overthrown by the people’s mobilisation!

No trust in Timoshenko, Klitschko or the new interim government of Turchinov!

Ukraine will only be independent under a worker’s government!

The imposing strength of the Ukranian people’s revolutionary mobilisation has overthrown the genocidal, oligarchic, servile government of Victor Yanukovych, achieving a democratic victory that enlighten the path for the peoples all over the world and terrorises the dominant class in Ukraine, Russia, imperialist Europe and the entire world.

Dozens of thousands self-organised people seized the emblematic Maidan Square (Independence Square) and confronted for days the brutal repression ordered by Yanukovych, that attacked the people several times, relying on the sinister Berkut (Police elite troops), trying to drown the Maidan’s brave defenders in blood.

However, despite the police siege and the murderous action of dozens of snipers at the painful price of over one hundred dead people and over one thousand injured, the improvised self-defense militias at Maidan, armed with sticks, stones, Molotov cocktails and some guns taken out from some police stations, minor arsenals, and from a dozen of imprisoned police officers, resisted to the point of opening up a real power crisis in the country.

The fierce resistance of dozens of thousands people ended up breaking the Armed Forces’ chain of command, divided between crushing the demonstrators or not, leaving Yanukovych and his entourage floating in the air, who tried to implement at last moment, while in despair, an agreement that could save his government from the most resounding collapse.

This agreement, signed “on the top” by Yanukovych and the parliamentary opposition (The Motherland, UDAR and Swoboda), and backed by the representatives of the European, U.S. imperialism and also Russia was strongly rejected by the Maidan, who didn’t believe in the promise of “anticipated elections” in December nor in the “new government of national unity in ten days”, and remained firm demanding “Yanukovych out now!”.

The Square defeated the repression and went beyond the agreement that would save the Yanukovych government from collapse. And in a such way that, on Saturday morning, February 22, the tyrant fled from Kiev and the capital city awoke in the hands of the demonstrators and their self-defense organisations, that had occupied the main strategic power offices: the Presidential Palace, the Central Bank and the main Ministries.

As a testimony of this clear dual power situation, the images of thousands invading Yanukovych’s luxury mansion or the interview given to a major Ukrainian media by a member of the militias sat on the Presidential chair, travelled through and hit the world.

The dramatic lack of a revolutionary leadership

However, facing Yanukovych’s flee and the occupation of the main public buildings by the self-defense militias, the Europeist opposition and the far-right forces tried to cover the evident “power vacuum” taking advantage of the lack of a revolutionary leadership for the process, in which the Ukrainian Communist Party historically played and keeps on playing a dire role regarding this. The CP always supported Yanukovych, approved the repressive laws in January and now preaches that the oligarchic satrap was a “legitimate president” overthrown by a “fascist coup”. The Stalinism, as they do in Middle East, stands once again next to the tyrants against the revolutionary masses. They’ve definitely earned the fair hatred of the Maidan Square.

In this context, the opposition’s oligarchic sector used the Supreme Rada (Parliament), which was not occupied by the demonstrators, though a siege was laid by the self-defense militias, to close the power vacuum crisis.

With the earth moving under its feet, the Rada “deposed” Yanukovych (they actually acted on a consummated fact) and named Alexandr Turchinov as the “interim President” of both Legislative and Executive powers, and called for elections on May 25.

Although in a extremely precarious way, an ongoing reactionary operation of diversion and stabilization of the political situation is taking place, but of unexpected results, because, since the mass movement feel victorious and look askance at the “old-new representatives” of power, they continue mobilized.

Moreover, the economic situation, on the verge of collapse, prevents from taking measures that could effectively decompress the plight of misery and unemployment of the Ukrainian working class.

Our position

1- Yanukovych’s fall represents a huge victory for the revolutionary mobilisation of the Ukrainian people, who defeated repression, divided the repressive forces, did not fell into the deception of the “pact” between Yanukovych and the parliamentary opposition supported by the European imperialism and Putin, in addition to collapsing the main institutions of politic power through their self-defense troops.

2- There is a duality of power in Ukraine. On the one hand, the self-called “new government”, based on the far-right and pro-imperialist opposition and, on the other, the latent power of the Maidan Square, although far-right sectors participate in its self-defense militias and a part of them have been co-opted as agents of the “new power”.

3- There was a revolutionary crisis, a power vacuum on February 22, when the protesters and self-defense militias took power of the main state buildings and Yanukovych fled.

This is what happened regardless of whether the mass movement were not aware of this and that, for lacking a political revolutionary leadership, they have not been able to solve the crisis of power in their favor.

4- It is therefore essential that the revolutionaries stand a policy that responds to this specific situation:

We can’t transfer the power to Timoshenko, Turchinov, Yatseniuk, Dobkin (governor of Kharkov) or any other leader or party of the “pro-Western opposition”!

They are part of the same oligarchy that led Ukraine to the fullest chaos and exploits the people, curtails the democratic freedoms and deliver the country’s wealth to both the EU and Putin!

No trust in the usurpers of the revolution, the struggle of the Ukrainian people and their martyrs!

5- This is critical, because what is currently posed in Ukraine, beyond the appointment of the weak interim government, is the question of political power. Our position is that power should pass into the hands of democratic organizations of the working class throughout Ukraine, together with the thousands who defended the Maidan Square with their own lives.

It is more than ever essential to promote the independent organization and mobilization of the working class and the precarized youth. It’s urgent to convene a national conference or meeting to discuss a government’s program to serve the social interests of the exploited classes, as opposed to all oligarchic sectors, whether linked to the Party of Regions or to Tymoshenko, Klitschko and neo-Nazis sectors, and that this central body takes power to carry it out.

6- It’s the exploited people who ousted Yanukovych who must take charge of their destiny and democratically decide the directions of the country’s politics and economy. Only concentrating power in their hands the working class and the exploited people of Ukraine may apply a coherent anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist program, a socialist program, to ensure full independence of the country (both from the EU and the oppressive Russia), the nationalization of natural resources, the full observance of democratic freedoms and respect for minority rights, facing decidedly both neo-Nazi provocation and separatist attempts. Only a workers’ and popular government can develop the agrarian revolution and full employment for the real improvement of the living conditions of the people.

7- For this, it’s critical to defend the expropriation of all oligarchs (from Yanukovych to Tymoshenko), imperialism, the Russian oligarchy and put the entire economy at the service of the country. The struggle must continue until the people is the owner of all wealth of the country, not just a handful of millionaires sold to the EU or Russia!

8- Therefore, we support the continuation of Maidan Square’s mobilization. It should take place in all Ukrainian cities and the people should not give away their weapons. The task of the revolutionaries is to continue developing the struggle for a socialist program and centralized bodies of popular power, always fighting back the influence of neo-Nazi and ultranationalist sectors, as the harmful “Right Sector”.

9- The situation of the Ukrainian revolutionary process and the duality of power dramatically reinforces the need for a revolutionary working class, socialist party, that is part of a democratically centralized International. The construction of the revolutionary leadership, as in all countries, should be the number one priority of the Marxists, the working class and social vanguard.

Check out our other content

Check out other tags:

Most Popular Articles