Ukraine: Solidarity Collectives

Two hands shaking over green flowers with the text Solidarity Collectives

From MTL Counter-info

Full title: Ukraine: Solidarity Collectives – No Rest ’till the Last Dictator Dies

Anonymous submission to MTL Counter-info

“Solidarity Collectives” (former “Operation Solidarity”) is an anti-authoritarian volunteer network formed before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine to help comrades on the front line and civilians affected by the war. “Collectives” isn’t merely a name but the essence of our initiative which was joined by various organizations and groups from Ukraine, Germany, Poland, France, US, Netherlands, Canada, and many other countries.

None of it would be possible without a huge number of people united by the idea of helping the Ukrainian resistance movement. The ABC network (especially ABC Dresden, germany – ABC Galicja, No Borders team poland, 161crew poland, XVX Tacticaid, The Antifa International from US, Yellow peril tactical from US, Ecological Platform from Lviv, and many others- they all made it happen. And without our friends in Labour initiatives, we wouldn’t have a beautiful office/warehouse in Kyiv.

Based on our anti-authoritarian values, we decided to actively resist Russian aggression. We support the right of the Ukrainian people to self-defense and consider the Russian invasion an imperialist act. Despite the multidimensional characteristics of any global event, the key reasons for this war are the imperial policy of the Russian Federation, the belief in the historical mission of the Russian elites, and an attempt to establish control over what they think is their sphere of influence. The reasons should not be sought neither in the economic interests of the Russian oligarchy nor in “Russian security precautions”, and especially not in NATO’s scheming. Full support of the Ukrainian people in their struggle (which doesn’t necessarily mean supporting the government’s policies) is the only consistent stance for anarchists and leftists worldwide.

Ukrainians wage an armed struggle against Russia because there is no other way of effective resistance now. Classic pacifist recipes don’t work here because the sides of the conflict aren’t equal. If the Russian army surrenders, the war will end. If Ukrainian soldiers lay down their weapons or “turn them against their government”, as some ‘experts on Ukraine’ suggest, the Russian army will occupy more territories and commit more war crimes. Both solutions are equally unrealistic though. And reality requires practical answers and specific actions.

On a big scale, Ukraine has no choice other than to defend itself with weapons. However, on the individual level, many Ukrainian men and women, including our comrades, joined armed units voluntarily and consciously.

So what do we do? We’ve created a volunteer team of very different people and initiatives, managing to maintain its work despite crises and reformatting. We’ve established a logistics network and strong partnerships with many anarchist and left-wing initiatives in Europe and beyond. Domestically, we cooperate with anti-authoritarian groups, labor unions, local activists, and institutions in areas near the front line.

The soldiers we support are activists of various convictions: anarchists, human rights defenders, trade unionists, eco-anarchists, anarcho-feminists, punk-rockers, political refugees from Belarus and Russia, etc. Many of them would not agree with each other’s vision and ideas before the war. There are also people of various political views, and members of different organisations and movements, who oppose the Russian aggression today. 

Most of the fighters are regular workers of different professions without political parties or foundations to back them. That’s why we in Solidarity Collectives try to support trade unions whose members have been mobilised or have volunteered to go to the frontline. First of all, these are the unions of railway workers, construction workers, and miners. We also stand in solidarity with them in the fight against the passing of the anti-social laws pushed by some odious politicians under the pretext of war necessity.

All those we support, however, are united by a common enemy, because the Russian imperial machine will not allow any of us to exist. 

Here some presentation of different comrades we are supporting:

– We are members of the Bread for life cooperative. Before the invasion, we were popularising the ideas of freeganism and DIY. We were freelancing, cooking, feeding at local events, squatting and building open workshops on the squat. In February, part of the group decided that we would stay here in the South (of Ukraine) in case of invasion to fight back. At the beginning of March, we joined one of the armed groups to form our medico-evacuation crew on its base. At that stage, we were supported with equipment by comrades from Operation Solidarity, and now we continue to be supported by Solidarity Collectives. Currently, we are working in different directions, no longer in the same group. But united by a common idea – the idea of freedom, equality, sisterhood, fraternity and everything that can only be achieved through fighting.

– Our friend Oleg: he’s a political scientist, musician, photographer, animal rights advocate, and activist. And now he serves in the 72nd Brigade which is fighting in the east of Ukraine. Among other things, they’ve been holding the Lysychansk – Bakhmut road. We’ve been supporting Oleg for quite some time now.

– The resistance committee was born as an initiative a few weeks before the full-scale invasion of Russian forces started. Its purpose was to coordinate efforts of different anarchist/antiauthoritarian groups and individuals in the military field. Now it is more coordination than organisation. It corresponds to its original task then. Our common ideological grounds are defined in our Manifesto. Our immediate enemy currently is Russian imperialism. However, we oppose authoritarianism and oppression in general. From the very start and up to now, anarchists from Belarus and Russia who survived in Ukraine from political repressions in their respective countries actively participated in the Resistance Committee along with Ukrainian comrades. We define the Resistance committee as antiauthoritarian coordination, so a little bit broader than just anarchist. The exact number is both not secure and not that easy to specify since there is no fixed membership in the RC. It is not that big, and we can’t say that it’s growing, even though since the full-scale invasion had started, more anarchists have joined the fight.

Currently, we have several small groups of anarchist and antifascist comrades integrated into territorial defence, regular army and volunteer units.”

– In 2013, our comrade «Swallow» was a member of the anti-authoritarian self-defense group of Kharkiv’s Euromaidan, then participated in creating the «Autonomia» squat in Kharkiv, organized a social and cultural center, and was an active participant in several activist initiatives. On the morning of February 24, Swallow was already performing air reconnaissance on the frontline using ordinary civilian drones.

Currently, “Solidarity Collectives” have three main areas of work:

MILITARY FRONT

From the onset of the war, our primary task has been to provide the anti-authoritarian activists who joined military units with everything they needed. Thanks to donations, we purchased and handed over a hundred bulletproof vests (4th protection standard), dozens of helmets, night vision devices, thermal imagers, rangefinders, drones, tactical medicine, military uniforms, shoes, clothes and much more – both special and everyday equipment. Today, Solidarity Collectives regularly supports up to 80 fighters, many of whom are on the front lines.

HUMANITARIAN FRONT

Thanks to the logistics network we built that includes 4 warehouses and cars, we have been receiving and transporting humanitarian aid to where it is most needed since the beginning of the war. To date, we have organized our own humanitarian convoys or delivered cargo to Bucha, Bilohorodka, Chernihiv, Kryvyi Rih, Mykolaiv, Kramatorsk, Malyna, Kharkiv and other cities. These transports consist of medicines, clothes, food, sleeping bags and mattresses, gas bottles with cylinders, and electronic equipment.

MEDIA

People discuss the “Ukrainian question” all over the world. Explaining why all anti-authoritarian forces, despite everything, should support the Ukrainian resistance movement is our primary task today. Therefore, we are always ready to take part in conferences, debates or share our vision with journalists.

We work daily collecting fighters’ needs, making purchases in Ukraine and abroad, organizing humanitarian trips to war-affected regions, communicating with friendly initiatives, and publishing the results of our work. For many, this is the most important part of our lives now.

Practice is one of our founding principles. We came together to help the Ukrainian resistance fight off Russian aggression. But we aren’t just against something, we also stand for. Our goal is a free and just society, our main values are social, economic, and gender equality.

We believe that the Ukrainian reconstruction which politicians and diplomats already discuss should benefit the people. It shouldn’t be based on neoliberal dogmas that the authors of the reconstruction plan are trying to include there.

We think feminism today should be based on a proactive position. Now, female activists of the anti-authoritarian movement bravely fight the aggressor, head military units, and provide medical aid on the battlefield. Also, most of the ‘Solidarity Collectives’ members are women, and they do most of the work in the military direction.

We support anti-authoritarian and anti-colonial movements around the world. Today, anti-authoritarian activists in Ukraine acquire experience which might be useful to topple dictators and authoritarian regimes both in post-soviet countries and other regions.
We support animal rights movements and fight against climate change. We pass vegan food to vegan fighters and advocate for the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. It’s not just about preventing climate disasters in the distant future but also about reducing the dependency on the resourse-oriented Russian economy.

Our goals are incompatible with Putin’s authoritarian regime. But we’re ready to fight for them in post-war Ukraine too opposing authoritarian tendencies in our society.

We’re grateful for the support to everyone who’s been working with us through all these months. To those who help raise money, transfer vehicles, organize public events, or come to Ukraine with humanitarian aid. Today, we feel the strength of international solidarity which is capable to do great things, despite the international left’s split on the ‘Ukrainian question’. We realize this solidarity isn’t easy but we call for you not to give in to the war weariness, especially now when your support is crucial to us.

We are also ready for open dialogue with those who still hesitate but are ready to hear the position of the Ukrainian anti-authoritarian community. We want to see you on our side of the barricades!

Meanwhile, our work continues.

No rest ‘till the last dictator dies.

podcasts about us:

https://a-dresden.org/2022/07/10/solidarity-collectives-interview-about-solidarity-work-with-ukraine/

https://anchor.fm/ypt-tiger-bloc-podcast/episodes/20—Solidarity-Collectives—Ukraine-Russia-War-e1nvgcq

video channels :

https://www.youtube.com/@sol_col
https://kolektiva.media/c/solidarity.collectives/videos?s=1

you can contact us there:

e-mail: solidaritycollectives@riseup.net

website: https://www.solidaritycollectives.org/en/
instagram, facebook, twitter, telegram

SUPPORT US
BANK CARD

Mono 5375411415211403
PayPal or credit card

suppliesforukrainenow@proton.me

Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/solidaritycollectives
Swift EUR, Euro

Beneficiary
IBAN: UA283220010000026200328307815
Account No: 26200328307815
Account with Institution
Bank: JSC UNIVERSAL BANK
City: KYIV,UKRAINE
Swift code: UNJSUAUKXXX

CRYPTO CURRENCY:

 BITCOIN
1CXwhNDkBULSLPk7q2aPZf3bfaPnMsXTX2
 ETHEREUM (eth, usdt)
0x933c3d28e1534d2087c8aa46036f90dc21628bc6
 TRC20 (tether)
TJUjNTVfR6pntFXdL6RXafj71uWwtn1auv
 Solana (sol)
6hfu8HczgJPW6upigfEPk3edfq6SAfrRCXwbvsYYBWih

There are 13 Comments

So, I see this is a little more carefully crafted than the last statement, which admitted that Solidarity Collectives was a reboot of Operation Solidarity which fell apart with 20,000 donated euros missing, and that they continue to solicit and distribute funds for fascist military units. Still no one had much to say about this actual group in that comment section, preferring to banter with a certain wingnut about the broader circumstances of the war.

If anarchists are using this website to solicit donations which will support literal fascists, i for one think this is something to discuss. I don’t really care that they support soldiers in being feminists or vegans- it’s a concrete example of how carving off “partial struggles” can divert “radical” efforts to repressive forces.

This is an excellent statement. I fully agree with its politics and with what it says they are trying to do, as do many other revolutionary anarchists and anarchist groups..

Whether there were problems with money, I don't know. I do know that previous reports did *not* say they were soliciting funds to "support literal fascists." If a few anarchists joined military units which included fascists, then those fascists were in units which included anarchists. (The earlier statement, as I recall, was against anarchists joining fascist-dominated units.)

Go back and read it again, it said 20,000 euros was stolen by an organizer, and they were supporting “anarchists” in fascist units including Azov. Both these details are mentioned specifically by the authors.

Wayne is either full myopic, with his vision hindered by far outdated ideological narratives, or just intentionally careless (or supportive?) about all those sassy details on his revolutionary Ukrainian "heroes" being a bunch of fash shitlords.

Also, yes 20 grands is one fucking big amount to be funneling, and makes it more than worthy to be double-checking these solidarity groups, beyond the Neonazi problem which is in no way a secondary matter. I won't be sending a dime to support fascists, regardless of which invader they're fighting against.

“If you want to donate to anti-fascists and anarchists in right-wing units despite all contradictions, just write it in the donation note.”

“Within Operation Solidarity, there were also many problems, debates, disputes over direction, problematic behavior, and claims to power. Eventually the initiative disbanded, the self-proclaimed founder stole 20,000€, and the Solidarity Collectives initiative formed from the remaining people.”

So Solidarity Collectives will still give my money to Azov as long as I officially specify it though? Just to be sure, I want those drones delivered to real patriots!

War
A war
A war
On the far side
On the other side of the planet

Far
I'm far
So far
From a front line
Quite the opposite I'm safe inside
But I worry and I give money
And I feel useless behind this computer
And that's just barely scratched the surface of my mind

If the authors stated previously that money was stolen from their prior organization, then I accept it as true. This still doesn't tell the whole story. Presumably these are the people who did not steal money.

The authors previously opposed "donat[ing] to anti-fascists and anarchists in right-wing units." But if donors wanted to do so, they would be willing to, provided it was specifically asked for (a way to discourage such donations). In any case, right or wrong, this is NOT the same as "support[ing] literal fascists." That is a lie.

Of course, sitting in NYC USA I cannot judge the actual functioning of this set of collectives. But the politics expressed are excellent in my opinion and demonstrates once again how widespread solidarity with the Ukrainians is among anarchists in eastern Europe, at least.

Yes. I wanna donate to anti-fascists in league with Ukrainian fascists. Contradictory I knows! But only real fascist is Pootin! When Poootin- gone everything will be fine and fascism will just disappear in Ukraine and the rest of Europe.

Reading this and other statements by the Solidarity Collectives, it is clear that their motive is to provide support to anarchists fighting the Russian invasion. They do not get involved in discussing just what is the best way for anarchist militants to do this: join non-violent activities (e.g. in hospitals or feeding people), forming anti-fascist and anarchist Territorial Defense units, joining whatever part of the armed forces which they can get into, etc. (There are more volunteers for the military than there are openings.) They don't decide, they just send aid (including military supplies) to the individual or group of Ukrainian anarchists. They certainly do not endorse anarchists joining fascist-dominated units, which is why if anyone does this they only get aid from people who specifically wish to support these few (mistaken in my view) anarchists. This should cut down any such aid without getting into a debate.

I'm ready to go fight Poo-tin on the Ukraine NATO proxy war theater if and only if legit anti-authoritarians fight the Zealensky regime and its wealthy US/UK/German interests in the country. Let us know when you do something. Deal?

Last I heard, it was Putin whose forces were invading, occupying, bombing, and massacring the Ukrainian people. So, as much as I am against "the Zealensky regime and its wealthy US/UK/German interests", i prioritize immediately fighting the invaders and mass murderers with guns. This should be done while building anarchist forces and educating Ukrainian workers, but (unlike you) I would not put off fighting the Russian invaders until we can create an anti-Zelensky force.

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