WASHINGTON — Some 3,000 defenders of Ukraine’s sovereignty rallied here two days before the third anniversary of Moscow’s Feb. 24, 2022, bloody invasion and attempt to conquer Ukraine. Similar events were held around the world, including in Russia.
Participants came to show solidarity with the Ukrainian people’s courageous resistance to Moscow and to discuss where this struggle fits in today’s deepening conflicts and trade disputes between the world’s rival capitalist powers.
Protesters came from the Washington area, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and beyond. The vast majority were of Ukrainian descent, but Russians, Belarusians, Georgians, Latvians, Lithuanians and Kazakhs also took part.
The rally was organized by United Help Ukraine, US Ukrainian Activists, Razom for Ukraine, Ukraine House and the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, in cooperation with the Ukrainian Embassy in the U.S.
A large banner brought by the organization Svitanok, which means “sunrise” in Ukrainian, said “Russia can stop the war anytime by leaving Ukrainian territories.”
Socialist Workers Party members from a number of cities joined the action, finding participants wanted to talk about President Donald Trump’s push for a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war, the latest move by the U.S. imperialist rulers to advance their own interests in the region.
They also wanted to discuss the demands on placards SWP members carried. In addition to demanding Moscow get out of all of Ukraine, they said: “US troops, nuclear weapons out of Europe! End sanctions on the Russian people!”
“It’s good that people showed up and that people from the Trump administration will see that,” Sofia Klymyshyn told the Militant. “But I think the organizers should have made clearer what we are fighting for. We want peace, but we’re not going to give up part of our country. And Ukraine must be part of any negotiations.”
“I’ve been supporting Ukraine since the very beginning of the war, since 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea,” Olga Petrova told Al Jazeera News. “I’m originally from Russia. Everyone should remember, it was Russia who attacked. It was Russia who invaded. It was Russia who began annexation.”
Kate Gohm helps organize a group of Russians in the D.C. area who put together aid for Ukraine. “I think Putin is hoping that there will be a pro-Russian election victory in Ukraine. But I don’t think that will happen,” she told the Militant.
“In war, it’s always working people who get hurt first. But in Ukraine it’s also working people who are on the front lines standing up,” said Myrna Baydyuk, the president of United Help Ukraine.
“Ukrainians will never back down,” Olenka Dubchak, said. “But we can only win if all of the world stands with us.”
Debate on sanctions
Rally participants largely supported harsher economic sanctions against Russia by Washington and other imperialist powers.
Eric, a computer programmer from Philadelphia who asked that his last name not be used, said, “We need to do everything possible to pressure Putin’s regime to get out of Ukraine.”
“We look to workers in Russia and working people in Ukraine, not to U.S. imperialism, as the force necessary to take on Putin,” replied Sergio Zambrana, a member of the Socialist Workers Party. “Sanctions hurt workers in Russia and cut across building solidarity.”
“Is there even a labor movement and unions in Ukraine?” Eric asked.
“Yes,” Zambrana said. “Like the U.S. and Russia, Ukraine is class divided. Ukrainian workers are fighting on the front lines and at the same time have to defend their unions, wages and working conditions from attacks by their own capitalist government.”
SWP campaigners explained Donald Trump’s push to take control over Ukraine’s valuable supplies of mineral deposits, at the same time his administration pushes for a quick settlement, underscores the fact Washington’s intervention serves the interests of the U.S. rulers, not those of working people in Ukraine, Russia or anywhere else.
SWP members also called for the freeing of all Russian political prisoners.