Interview with an Anarchist Fighting in Ukraine

from It Could Happen Here

Over several days, Robert conducted an interview with an Anarchist militant fighting as part of an Anarchist volunteer militia unit in Ukraine.

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Anarchistnews.org should be congratulated. From the comments, it seems as if most of its readers and its general milieu are opposed to anarchists supporting the Ukrainian people in their popular resistance to the Russian invasion. Yet, this site has repeated reposted articles and interviews of anarchists who support this anti-Russian war and who participate in it. Good for anarchistnews!

Once again Wayne creates a completely false narrative to fit his own narrow minded pro-war and pro-nationalist agenda.
First things first: thecollective that administers this website post and repost various essays and articles and interviews of interest to anarchists. That means lots of essays and articles and interviews by anarchists as well as articles and essays about anarchists. Like any decent self-described non-sectarian editorial group, thecollective posts things that are awesome and cringeworthy depending on one's perspective and understanding of anarchism. The mere fact of some interview or article or essay being put here for people to read and comment on is not an endorsement of the content of that interview or article or essay. You might try reading the "about" page.

Wayne, you must be brain damaged or otherwise cognitively challenged if you believe that anyone connecting coherently is opposed to anyone -- anarchists included -- fighting the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As the previous commenter said, many people here have consistently called into question anarchists in Ukraine and their supported elsewhere cheerleading the Ukrainian military and paramilitary forces, forces that are definitely not leading an armed revolutionary anti-capitalist/anti-statist insurgency but have mobilized soldiers and volunteers to defend the Ukrainian state and its territory. Most people here aren't even condemning those anarchists who choose to support and fight with the Ukrainian state and its military. What the critics have been condemning is the assertion that choosing this path is so compatible with anarchist history and philosophy that it cannot be challenged. And here you are again, deliberately mischaracterizing those challenges to your promotion of the stupidest form of anti-imperialism.

Now you'll probably whine about how you're being personally attacked. But guess what? You've done exactly that by consistently ignoring or misreading and mischaracterizing the critiques leveled at you. Your inability to engage in good faith debate (which would require accepting what people say themselves rather than imposing your analysis on what they say, for example) will inevitably result in people becoming frustrated with your bullshit.

tl;dr: you're a fucking liar

(1) I never said that placing reports by Ukrainian anarchists or other supporters of participation in the Ukrainian war was "an endorsement of the content of that interview or article." You made that up. I was in fact praising anarchistnews' collective for its nonsectarian approach.

(2) You say I am nuts if I "believe that anyone connecting coherently is opposed to anyone -- anarchists included -- fighting the Russian invasion of Ukraine." This is immediately followed by "many people here have consistently called into question anarchists in Ukraine and their supported elsewhere cheerleading the Ukrainian military and paramilitary forces." So you are not against Ukrainian anarchists fighting the Russian invasion so long as they don't cheer on the "military and paramilitary forces" with which they are presumably allied with in fighting that Russian invasion. It's ok to fight but don't cheer? (BTW, could you give some examples of such "cheerleading"?)

(3)You claim that the Ukrainian military "have mobilized soldiers and volunteers to defend the Ukrainian state and its territory" I doubt that this is why the Ukrainian anarchists are fighting. I think they want to defend the Ukrainian people and their homes, livelihoods and lives, from being bombarded and massacred, as well as Putin's attempt to destroy Ukrainian culture and self-identity. Whatever the state's goals, the anarchists' goals are good.

(4) You declare that you are not "condemning those anarchists who choose to support and fight with the Ukrainian state and its military." Then what are you condemning? "the assertion that choosing this path is so compatible with anarchist history and philosophy that it cannot be challenged. " Please find where I wrote anything like that. You call me a liar, but I never wrote anything remotely like this. "Cannot be challenged" indeed! Phooey.

(5) As far as I can figure out what you are saying (me being "cognitively challenged" and all), you do not condemn the Ukrainian anarchists who participate in the anti-Russian resistance, even with some sort of collaboration with the Ukrainian state, but you do condemn them for doing so as anarchists. What they are doing may be ok but it is not being an anarchist. It is not "compatible with anarchist history and philosophy" (At least as you interpret "anarchist history and philosophy.")

(6) What it comes down to (as I have pointed out before, Mx. Anon-y-mouse), there is a real war going on right now, fully supported by the workers and poor people of Ukraine, with much popular initiative-from-below, but led by the Ukrainian state (the Ukrainian people not being anarchists or socialists now, the more's the pity). Ukrainian anarchists are trying to find ways to participate in this mass struggle, one way or another, which usually involves some relationship to the state and capital. You do not "condemn" these anarchists, but neither do you support them or express solidarity with them. You deny that they are implementing a revolutionary anarchist strategy. You stand off from them and look down your nose at them. I cannot see your attitude as anything but opposed to the Ukrainian war of resistance and to those anarchists who have joined it.

(7) I have nothing further to say about this writer's hysterical name-calling and vicious personal attacks. I don't know what he or she thinks this does to advance his or her argument, but I suppose it give them some small satisfaction.

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