The Ex-Worker

As Russian tanks encircle Kyiv and hundreds of thousands of refugees flee, our hearts go out to our comrades in Ukraine resisting the Russian invasion—and to the Russian anti-war movement bringing the resistance home. In this episode, we explore the history and background context to the current crisis in Ukraine. A variety of firsthand accounts from the weeks leading up to the invasion discuss differing perspectives on the threat of war, the complexities of anti-fascism, the role of NATO, and possibilities for principled resistance in times of severe threat. We share an excerpt from an interview by Elephant in the Room with a Ukrainian anarchist discussing the political history of Ukraine since the fall of the Soviet empire, Putin's vulnerabilities, and the character of the current Ukrainian regime. A long essay written by group of Ukrainian anarchists maps out the political landscape from the Maidan protests through the present crisis, with special attention to the evolution of the anarchist movement in recent years. And a statement from Russian anarchists on the eve of the invasion highlights the shared commitment of anarchists in the region to resisting Russian imperialism while working towards a broader vision of liberation. {March 2, 2022}

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• Table of Contents:
  • Introduction {0:01}
  • Between Two Fires: Ukrainian Anarchists on the Looming Threat of War {5:18}
  • Interview Excerpt: “Anarchists and War in Ukraine” {18:11}
  • A View From Kyiv {32:18}
  • War and Anarchists: Anti-Authoritarian Perspectives in Ukraine {41:58}
  • The Maidan Protests in Kyiv {43:32}
  • The Role of Anarchists in the Protests of 2014 {47:21}
  • The Beginning of the War: The Annexation of Crimea {50:34}
  • Disinformation {52:12}
  • Armed Conflict in the East of Ukraine {53:38}
  • Supporters of the Unrecognized Republics {57:23}
  • The Rise of the Far Right in Ukraine {59:02}
  • Anarchists’ and Anti-Fascists’ Activity during the War {1:02:39}
  • Pro-Ukrainians {1:03:05}
  • Pro-Russians {1:05:55}
  • Is There a Threat of Full-Scale War with Russia? An Anarchist Position {1:11:28}
  • The Current Situation of Anarchists in Ukraine and New Challenges {1:19:00}
  • Against Annexations and Imperial Aggression: A Statement from Russian Anarchists {1:24:43}
  • Conclusion {1:31:04}

• We begin the episode with Between Two Fires: Ukrainian Anarchists on the Looming Threat of War. The article includes excerpts from “Why should we support Ukraine?,” by Finnish anarchist Antti Rautiainen, “If Only There Was No War” by anarchists from Belarus, and this communique from Swedish anarchists about their solidarity action with rebels in Kazakhstan.

• We played some short excerpts from an interview with a Ukrainian anarchist originally released by Elephant in the Room, a Dresden-based anarchist audio project. Highly recommended to listen to the whole interview! You can also read an edited transcription later on in the Between Two Fires article.

• For more background on the 2013–14 Maidan protests, see “The Ukrainian Revolution and the Future of Social Movements”, “Ukraine: How Nationalists Took the Lead”, or this account from Lviv, February 19–21, 2014.

• The long essay we share is titled “War and Anarchists: Anti-Authoritarian Perspectives From Ukraine. It references the text by murdered anarchist Sergei Kemsky titled “Do You Hear It, Maidan?”

• We close the episode with the statement Against Annexations and Imperial Aggression: A Statement from Russian Anarchists from Autonomous Action.