Message from a Belarusian Anarchist fighting in Ukraine

from alasbarricadas, English translation by cretin via raddle

Machine-assisted translation of the following Spanish-language post from the 'alasbarricadas' website: https://alasbarricadas.org/noticias/node/48049


Good evening to all but Putin's soldiers.

After all the trips to clearly failed and dangerous actions, the flight from Belarus and what I experienced during my 29 years, it was not so difficult to travel to war-torn Ukraine, although it was terrifying.

It was not entirely clear where I was going, what awaited me, whether I would be allowed to cross the border. I was not sure whether I would reach my destination, as my passport was attracting attention at checkpoints and there was also an attack by enemy planes.

Plus the fear that the first battle would also be the last. But the biggest fear was disappointing my comrades-in-arms.

I am convinced that today's events in Ukraine are deciding the fate not only of Ukraine itself, but of the whole of Europe.

European democracy is terrible, but what is much more terrible is what the so-called 'Russian world' is bringing from the East. The remnants of freedoms and rights that the working class won in Europe, after a long struggle, will be completely destroyed by the Russian dystopia, transforming everything around it into a concentration camp, as they have already done in Belarus, Russia, and partly, in Kazakhstan.

Mikhail Bakunin in his work "Federalism, Socialism and Anti-Theology" wrote: "We are firmly convinced that the most imperfect republic is a thousand times better than the most enlightened monarchy, for in a republic there are moments when the people, though eternally exploited, are at least not oppressed, whereas in monarchies they are constantly oppressed".

So, Russia today is this incredibly aggressive monarchy.

I often read that this is an imperialist war, although it is not clear what the second empire is, and that anarchists can do nothing there.

That Nazis, who fight in any army, fight for Ukraine. That the soldiers on both sides must turn their weapons against the governments, etc., but I have not yet heard that this is also happening on the side of the troops of the "liberators".

And there are many other criticisms, some of which I may even agree with, but the problem is that standing aside and taking a correct class position means becoming a silent witness to the bombings of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernigov and Mariupol. And my conscience does not allow me to stand aside.

That is why I am here today in Ukraine, which will face all these difficulties and finally free itself from Moscow's influence, and with it Belarus will be free, and let us hope that after that, Russia itself will finally become a real federation of free nations.

Note: the author of this text is a Belarusian anarchist refugee who was living in Poland and is now a volunteer fighter in Ukraine.

There are 3 Comments

eggs are based and very easy to make on masse. Belarus comrades should have eggs.

I keep on seeing people spamming this Bakunin quote out of context to justify taking sides in an inter-bourgeois conflict. Let's set one thing straight: The Russian Federation is a Democratic Republic, as is Ukraine. The states of Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the UK are monarchies. Just sayin'.

Putin's stranglehold on Russian media has reportedly limited how many in Russia even know what's happening. That said, the truth is leaking in, and reports of direct action are leaking out. Beyond the incredible risks taken by thousands of arrested antiwar protesters, we have the molotov cocktail attack on the Kremlin itself(proven by video footage), a recruiting/conscription center burned to the ground, and a Russian officer executed by being run over with a TANK by Russian troops fed up with the war. Nowhere near enough (about 300 draft boards in the US destroyed during Vietnam), but its a start.
Putin's army and his cops may be tougher than a pipeline builder or a vivisector, but they still bleed and burn just like anyone or anything else.

I just heard a report today (though I cannot confirm it) that a whole unit of anti-Putin Russians has supposedly joined the fight for Ukraine. I hope to hell this is true, that more follow them-and that they carry the fight back to Moscow and deal with Putinism once and for all.

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