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Following the elections in Ukraine on 25th May, the bloody assault against rebels in Donetsk has continued and escalated. We publish here three short articles that deal with the latest developments in the Ukraine, including one article by left-wing group Borotba.

Following the elections in Ukraine on 25th May, the bloody assault against rebels in Donetsk has continued and escalated. We publish here three short articles that deal with the latest developments in the Ukraine, including one article by left-wing group Borotba.

President Oligarch: the natural result of Euromaidan

Written by Borotba

The so-called elections, held by the Kiev junta on May 25, cannot be considered fair or legitimate. Elections held in the midst of civil war in the East of the country and neo-Nazi terror in the South and Center were not free.

The very course of the election campaign was unprecedented in every conceivable violation of democratic norms. Presidential candidates were beaten and not allowed to campaign. Several candidates withdrew in protest against the farce.

In Odessa and other regions, there were documented cases of polling stations being "guarded" by ultra-nationalist units brought from Kiev and western Ukraine. This cannot be called anything but explicit pressure on the voters.

In Crimea and the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republic, the so-called elections were not held. In Odessa and Kharkov regions, polling stations were almost empty. Many of those who came to vote spoiled their ballots, writing slogans against the Kiev junta. Nevertheless, the so-called Central Election Commission claimed a turnout of 60%!

Thousands of people in different cities of the country came out to protest against the "elections of blood." Nevertheless, the results announced by the junta will be recognized by the obedient Central Electoral Commission and Western observers.

The hypocrisy of the so-called champions of fair elections should be noted. They criticize flawed elections in the Russian Federation and other countries, but now turn a blind eye to the blatant falsification and flagrant violations of the "elections" of May 25.This once again shows that the criterion of "honesty" for official liberal public opinion is not real compliance with election procedures, but the loyalty of the regime that holds elections to Western imperialism.

As expected, the winner of the presidential "election" was billionaire Poroshenko. Poroshenko, along with other billionaires like Igor Kolomoisky and Sergei Taruta, became the personification of the direct transfer of state power to the big capitalists. Poroshenko is a prime example of the ruling class of "independent" Ukraine -- the parasitic bourgeois oligarchy that has looted the country for the last 20 years.

Poroshenko’s political path is revealing. In the late ‘90s he was a loyal member of then-President Kuchma’s SDPU(o) party. Then he was one of the founders of the Party of Regions. Then -- a friend and ally of President Viktor Yushchenko. A leading lobbyist for so-called "European integration," Poroshenko then became one of the leaders and sponsors of Euromaidan.

There is no doubt that Poroshenko will continue the course of Turchinov and Yatsenyuk in the interests of a narrow layer of the oligarchy. Poroshenko will continue the junta’s dirty war against its own people in the Donbass. Poroshenko will continue to implement the anti-people measures imposed by the IMF and lead the country to economic disaster.

The direct transfer of power to the oligarchy and the strengthening of neo-fascist tendencies are direct consequences of Euromaidan, which Union Borotba warned of last autumn. Only very politically naive people could expect a different result from a movement led by neoliberals and ultra-nationalists, and sponsored by the biggest capitalists.

The results showed a devastating defeat for the radical nationalists - and Tyagnybok [leader of Svoboda] and Yarosh [leader of Right Sector], who together polled only 2%. Terror against the people, against the Left and democratic forces, and deployment of nationalist combat units, have not promoted the growth of popularity of the fascist forces. Nevertheless, despite their low public support, the extreme right will remain an important element of the political system of the Kiev dictatorship. Their role is the violent suppression of opponents of the oligarchic regime. This role is typical of fascist-type movements.

We do not recognize the outcome of these pseudo-elections ignored by the majority. We will continue the campaign of civil disobedience against the junta of oligarchs and nationalists.

In Defence of Marxism

Record abstention rate as the Kiev oligarchs seek to legitimise their rule

Written by Peter Mikhailenko

The events that led to the holding of the latest Ukrainian presidential election started with a demand for EU-integration. So it is fitting that the election with the lowest participation (estimated at around 55% by the Ukrainian Electoral Commission) in Ukraine’s history was held on the same day as the EU elections, which had an even lower participation of 43%. The first round was won outright by oligarch Petro Poroshenko, scoring 54% with 80% of the votes counted. Yulia Tymoshenko was runner-up at a distant 13%, while fellow populist Oleh Lyashko took just over 8%.

[Written on 26 May 2013]

Was the abstention only in the East?

Western dignitaries and media were quick to praise the election of Poroshenko as part of Ukraine’s “path to democracy”. Even before the election, there were stories on the destruction of voting booths in the East of the country, as part of a pre-emptive justification for the high abstention rate. However, there have been significant abstentions in the Western regions of Ukraine, which were the base for the protests against Yanukovich. There are strong indications that the regime in Kiev does not have majority support in any region of Ukraine, let alone the East.

Who is Poroshenko?

Poroshenko is the owner of the chocolate manufacturing conglomerate Roshen and the influential Channel 5 television station. Poroshenko was able to win by such a wide margin on the back of a massive media campaign, a campaign budget of almost $8 million (the average Ukrainian wage is around $250/ month) and due to the fact that the corrupt activities of his main rival Tymoshenko, and others, had been much more publicized.

Although his media presented him as a developer of Ukraine’s economy, the truth is that the vast majority of the chocolate production that he used to make his estimated $1 billion fortune was gained from ruthlessly privatizing factories that existed during the Soviet Union and by reducing the workforce and working conditions. Many have forgotten that Poroshenko was instrumental in founding the Party of Regions (PoR), the party of ousted president Viktor Yanukovich in 2001. He then switched sides in support of the so-called “Orange Revolution” in 2004, which brought to power Viktor Yushchenko. Poroshenko served under Yushchenko in several ministerial positions and in the process enriched himself.

When Yanukovich was elected in 2010, Poroshenko saw an opportunity to switch sides again and served as a minister in the new government. However, as the Maidan movement started he decided to back it in order to make sure he stayed close to power.

Prospects for consolidating power in the midst of rebellion

Viktor Yuschenko, whose policies were economically liberal and socially nationalist, only lasted one term in power, failing to do anything to prevent social regression and incurring debt with the IMF, while the oligarchy continued to enrich themselves. To say that Poroshenko enters situation considerably more unstable is a massive understatement.

The economy was knocked on its back in 2008-2009 after the global market crash, collapsing by 15%. The temporary recovery experienced elsewhere was virtually not existent in Ukraine, which was already in too much debt to produce any serious stimulus package, with foreign investment decreasing each passing year. Essentially, the economic crisis that led to the removal of Viktor Yanukovich is even worse for Poroshenko, and this is only the beginning.

The east of Ukraine - its industrial base accounting for 40% of all exports - has been in revolt against the government since it came to power at the beginning of the year. The movement certainly does not contain only Russian agents and separatists as the Western and Ukrainian media has repeatedly suggested. That the Russian government immediately recognized these elections further proves this. The movement in the east is a mass-popular movement against the actions of the illegitimate government in Kiev.

What were these actions? Firstly, after the ousting of Yanukovich the government proceeded to install local oligarchs as the governors in Kharkov, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk. They also passed a bill in the Rada revoking previous legislation giving Russian language official status at a regional level. Furthermore, they began what is only the beginning of the IMF-backed austerity measures by drastically increasing the price of natural gas. When people began to protest these measures and occupy government buildings, their response was to send in the Ukrainian army to try to crush them in a so-called “anti-terrorist” operation.

When this proved insufficient, due to the reluctance of many soldiers to fire at their own people, they began recruiting fascist militias into the National Guard, the same fascist thugs who were responsible for the murder of 40 protestors in Odessa among many other atrocities against the citizens of Ukraine’s eastern regions and violence against left-wing activists. The recent moves to ban the Communist Party further exposes the very reactionary nature of the new government.

Immediately after the results, Poroshenko announced that he would increase the scope of the military operations against the rebels in the east. Poroshenko will have to rely even more on the fascist National Guard battalions, as further deployment of the Ukrainian army would only increase the danger of a full-on mutiny against the government. These measures will only further galvanize the movement fighting the fascist thugs.

In the economic sphere, Ukraine continues to be in heavy debt and on the verge of default. Any “reforms” will certainly be austerity measures leading to cuts in social services and subsidies. This prospect of massive foreign investment rescuing the economy is absurd considering the extent of the global economic crisis and the possibility of increased protectionism in the EU. The only funding that will be available to the government will be through foreign loans tied to further cuts in social spending.

This will force the people in the Western and Central regions of the country to see past the nationalist war hysteria fed to them by the media and into action against the government. This opens the door for a common movement in the east, where there has been increasing anti-oligarch mood and growing social demands. The success of this movement will require the transformation of the struggle from one between nationalities, to one against the oligarchy and capitalism. This cannot be realized by farcical elections, but by united class struggle.

In Defence of Marxism

New Ukrainian president Poroshenko continues bloody assault on Donbas rebels

Written by Jorge Martin

May 26 was the bloodiest day so far in Kiev’s “anti-terrorist” operation where Ukrainian forces used fighter jets and helicopter gunships to fight off rebels who had taken over the airport in Donetsk. This is the clear message the new president Poroshenko is sending to the Peoples’ Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.

On being elected, he declared that he was in favour of the Anti-Terrorist Operation but that he wanted it to be short and sharp and for the Ukrainian forces participating in it to be fully equipped with the necessary weaponry. MiG-29 and SU-21 fighter jets, as well as Mi-24 gunship helicopters, were used in the operation which left over 30 militia fighters dead. A Donetsk Peoples’ Republic spokesperson said that most of those were killed when trucks transporting wounded fighters to the hospital were attacked by government troops. At least one civilian was killed near the railway station by government artillery fire (See video here) and two more in Sloviansk from artillery fire from government positions (See video below).

An ominous statement from the “ATO” spokesman Vladyslav Seleznoiv announced today that by midnight all Donetsk rebels will have “surrendered or been killed.” He specified that the location of “all terrorist targets in Donetsk” had been established and that they would be hit with “special high-precision weapons.” This reveals both the cynicism and the increasing nervousness of Kiev faced with the failure of the ATO so far. Cynicism because it is clear, and the experience of Iraq and Afghanistan clearly shows this, that there are no such thing as “high precision weapons” which can hit only “terrorists” and cause no “collateral damage.” Nervousness, because the increasing use of artillery fire, fighter jets and helicopter gunships reveals the inability of Kiev to win this civil war with ordinary troops on the ground - as they have repeatedly refused to obey orders and fraternised with unarmed civilians in the past few weeks. What is being prepared is a bloodbath. Yesterday in Sloviansk artillery fire was used against residential areas, killing one woman near the Pedagogic Institute and also hitting the Psychiatric Hospital. So much for “high precision weapons”!

This kind of action is only going to strengthen the anti-Kiev feeling in both regions. Already on Sunday 25, a crowd of 3,000 people, some carrying red flags, marched on the private residence of local oligarch Akhmetov in Donetsk and wanted to storm it. It was only the presence of the militias which stopped them (See video below). Akhmetov has now left the region and sought refuge in Kiev.

This is the reality behind all the talk of negotiating with the rebels, of an amnesty and dialogue with Russia. As we have explained before, both Germany and Russia have been exerting pressure for a negotiated settlement. German capitalists are openly against sanctions against Russia as they would be hit hardest. They have invested in Russia and depend on Russian oil. On the other hand, Putin has already taken Crimea, which he will not give back, but is not really interested in invading Ukraine to take over Donetsk and Luhansk. His aim in the conflict is a Ukraine in which Russia has a say, as opposed to one which is a member of NATO and is completely aligned with Western interests.

This is the meaning of all the recent talk about a road map towards a negotiated solution. The conditions would be: an amnesty for the rebels, direct talks between Kiev and the rebels under Russian auspices and a federal constitution for Ukraine which would guarantee Russia a say in her internal policies. Putin has already said he welcomed the elections, that he was withdrawing troops from the border and Foreign Minister Lavrov said he was prepared to talk to the new Ukraine president.

In effect Putin has sold out the rebels who had the illusion that he was going to come to their rescue. Understandably, they are not prepared to enter any negotiations unless and until Kiev ceases their military assault. At this point the feeling of many of the rebels would be that too much blood has already been spilled and that they no longer would be satisfied with a federal solution. On its part, the Kiev authorities are attempting at all costs to regain control of the Donbas before any negotiations take place, even if this means a bloodbath.

Meanwhile, the assault on democratic rights continues, as armed thugs assaulted the offices of the city and regional organisation of the Communist Party in Dnepropetrovsk in the evening of May 26. Paramilitary thugs identifying themselves as part of the Maidan 44 Centuria seized the party’s city offices and occupied them.

In Defence of Marxism