Now and then – for the liberation of Ukraine from fascism!

Since 2015, 8 May has been a national day of remembrance in Ukraine as the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation, marking, together with western countries, the victims of the Second World War. For Ukraine, this war was a national tragedy, as it suffered under both soviet and German occupation, resulting in the deaths of between 6 and 8 million Ukrainians. The Second World War began with the joint invasion of Poland by the national socialists and the Red Army. As a pretext, Stalin claimed the “protection of Slavic brothers,” Ukrainians and Belarusians. In reality, he secured his share of the spoils that he and Hitler had divided between themselves in the secret additional protocol of their pact. Today, putin likewise claims that the “special military operation” in Ukraine serves to protect “russian compatriots” in Donbas, while in fact it aims at the destruction of the Ukrainian people, their nation, and their independent state.

When nazi Germany occupied Ukraine, this raised hopes among parts of the population in the west of the country for an independent state. A minority of Ukrainians collaborated with the German occupiers and actively participated in pogroms against Jews and Poles, as well as in the Holocaust. russia uses this to smear all Ukrainians who identify with their nation, in stalinist tradition, as “nazis.” In reality, however, the majority of Ukrainians were victims of German occupation terror, as the colonization of Ukraine was a central goal of the war of annihilation in the east. A large proportion of the forced laborers deported to Germany were Ukrainians. Between 4.5 and 7 million Ukrainians fought in the Red Army, including the grandfather of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Through this and through its industrial resources, Ukraine made a decisive contribution to the defeat of national socialism. Germany bears a historical responsibility toward Ukraine and must therefore consistently support it in its defensive struggle against russian fascism.

For years, russia has denied Ukraine’s contribution to the victory over national socialism, claiming it exclusively for itself. In 2010, putin asserted that the Soviet Union would have defeated national socialism even without Ukraine. He uses the “Victory Day” on 9 May to militarize russian society through a cult of victory, to stir up imperial nationalism, and to stabilize the dictatorship of the siloviki. russia invokes the “Great Patriotic War” to justify its war against Ukraine, falsely claiming that Ukraine’s democratically elected government, headed by a Jew, is a “nazi regime” committing “genocide” against people in Donbas. In reality, it is russia that is fascist and is waging a genocidal war of annihilation against Ukraine.

On 8 May, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., we will hold a rally at Leipzig’s Market Square to commemorate the victims of the Second World War and to show our solidarity with Ukraine. We demand that the federal government tighten sanctions against russia, close existing loopholes, and more strictly monitor sanctions violations; work toward excluding russia from the UN Security Council and establishing an international tribunal for the perpetrators of the genocidal war of annihilation; procure sufficient ammunition and military equipment as supplies for the Ukrainian armed forces; and establish a parliamentary inquiry to examine the entanglements of German business and politics with russia. Feel free to bring signs with these and your own demands to the rally!