Five years of the Donetsk People’s Republic

Photos: I.B. Khlebnikov Workers’ University

It’s been five years of life under conditions of economic blockade and war, even if it has entered a sluggish stage. Over the years of war, thousands of civilians were killed in the republic. It is impossible to calculate how many have become migrants in the present circumstances. 

Five years ago, the proclamation of independence was a response to the coup d’état in Ukraine, the spread of ultra-right violence, and the impending decommunization — political, economic, and cultural. Ukraine has become a victim of imperialism and the global rise of reactionary forces. 

Five years ago, slogans about social justice were heard everywhere on the streets of Donbass, and even more — about building socialism. People learned well during the years of Ukraine’s “independence” what capitalism is and its real essence. The communists became creators of the Donetsk People’s Republic, and they died for it on the battlefield. 

 

The struggle of Donbass workers continues. And this is part of the global struggle for socialism, life and progress.

Yesterday, communists and other leftists gathered on Lenin Square in Donetsk to mark the five-year anniversary of those events.

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Translated by Greg Butterfield