The ACP condemns the attack by the forces of the Russian Federation on Ukraine. The world stands shocked at this reckless act on the part of the Putin government and the loss of life and suffering among the peoples exposed to the conflict. This is not a battle between the progressive forces present in the region versus reactionary ones. Both sides represent the anti-people interests of rival imperialist powers determined to control resources and gain geo-political advantage.

Ukraine is a sovereign country that can choose to trade and ally itself with whomever it chooses. In this case, the servants of capital in parliament have chosen to side with the most aggressive and powerful imperialist bloc. Of course, the Russian Federation has legitimate fears that this will lead to the hosting of rival military forces and nuclear weapons on its border in preparation for a war for influence and resources. However, the decision to launch a “pre-emptive war” to head off this eventuality is hostile to the interests of the peoples living on the territory of Ukraine and beyond. It is ordinary workers and other exploited people who will suffer and the action cannot be justified.

The government of Ukraine is not a progressive or peace-loving one. It has stripped workers of their rights, including the right to form a Communist Party. It honours Nazi collaborators and besmirches the memory of the millions who died fighting fascism and defending socialism. But Putin’s government, the successor of the clearly traitorous Yeltsin one, is not a progressive force, either. Putin has cemented the power of the oligarchs (local monopoly capitalists) and continued the theft of the peoples’ collective property. It has pursued the most outrageous reactionary social agenda and cozied up to the most reactionary forces of the Orthodox Church.

It has been claimed by the pro-US media that Putin is nostalgic for the days of the Soviet Union and is seeking to reconstruct the USSR. This is a ridiculous claim. He was an opportunist who served without principle as a KGB officer and subsequently changed allegiances to the capitalist ruling class with consummate ease and great energy. There is nothing popular about the “peoples’ republics” established with Putin’s support in the majority Russian speaking regions of Ukraine.

The people of the world are right to condemn this resort to military aggression, but the US government and its servants in capitalist countries around the world have no right to self righteous condemnation. The examples are many but it’s enough to recall the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The government of Saddam Hussein was not to the liking of those powers but it was by their own definitions the recognised government of a sovereign country. The bogus excuse for the invasion that cost over a million lives was the alleged existence of “weapons of mass destruction” in Iraq. No such weapons existed but the destruction and resource stripping continued. For the US and puppets like the Australian government to talk about the rights of sovereign countries is sick and dishonest. People must not be fooled by this cynical manipulation.

Workers the world over must work to stop “their” governments fomenting and waging war on their working class brothers and sisters. They must recognise their class interests, including that of a future of peace and mutually beneficial relations and not be drawn into the war hysteria being generated. Australian workers must struggle for the country to be removed from the US alliance as part of their struggle for a socialist society.