Ukrainian economy and society: whither the (postwar) country?
On February 24, 2022, when Russia yet again invaded Ukraine, it was already one of the poorest and most indebted countries in Europe, at war since 2014. Its needs and losses have grown exponentially – dislocation of the labour force, infrastructure destruction, ecological damage, etc. This article argues a case for large-scale multi-faceted international assistance, […]
Africa and the War in Ukraine: Russian Money, Wagner Group, and Grassroots Solidarity
This article is based on the left-wing activists' conference materials organized by the Global and European Networks of Solidarity with Ukraine (ENSU) in Africa. These activists represent various grassroots initiatives, organizations, and parties. They talk about the situation on the African continent, solidarity, problems in the region, and how the Russian-Ukrainian war affected them. The […]
From Lisbon to Kryvyi Rih: a conversation about labor struggles with Yurii Samoilov
Yurii Samoilov is the leader of an independent miners' union in Kryvyi Rih and an activist of the left-wing organization Social Movement. For years, he has been organizing and supporting workers, especially in the mining and metallurgical sector. As a trade union representative, he joined the fight in courts, at demonstrations and strikes, and conducted […]
De-occupation of Crimea: Crimean Tatars and the Path toward Decolonization
In 2020, when I conducted my ethnographic fieldwork in Crimea, few expected it to be de-occupied any time soon. In mainland Ukraine too, the saying “next year in Bakhchisaray” sounded naïve and awkward as those who uttered it understood their self-deception perfectly well. Yet, three years later, de-occupy Bakhchisaray is becoming a real possibility. Moreover, many […]
The main goal of trade unions is to remind everyone that governments serve the people, not vice versa
Every year left-wing and trade union communities celebrate Labour Day – the day of resistance and solidarity in fighting for peace and worker’s rights. In Ukraine we constantly have discussions around this date’s meaning and importance. May Day as a day off not for picnics but for demonstrations of left-wing and trade union solidarity. We […]
Sub-Imperialist positioning, not “anti-colonial consciousness,” behind the neutrality of reactionary elites in the Global South
Time and time again, we have been told that ‘the Global South’ – ie, the developing world consisting largely of former colonies – does not support Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s barbaric colonial invasion, or is even supportive of Russia. According to this rendition of reality, support for Ukraine is entirely a project of the imperial […]
What’s wrong with Ukraine’s wartime diplomacy in the Global South
In the month of the 1st anniversary of Russia’s illegal and brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, president Volodymyr Zelensky held a speech at the European Parliament, where he declared Russia to be “the biggest anti-European force of the modern world”[1]. By “European”, he meant its ostensibly “way of life steeped in rules, values, equality, and […]
Against false solidarity. A call for true solidarity among people with experiences of displacement
Ideas discussed in this contribution were first presented at the Solidarity, Displacement & the University workshop that took place on October 13-14, 2022, in Berlin and focused on access programs for displaced learners, spaces of solidarity those programs create, and possibilities for opening up the university[1] (Cantat et al., eds. 2022) for people who have experienced displacement. I consider […]
Decentralization or Decapitation? Decentralization reform during the War in Donbas
Ukraine’s decentralization reform has been claimed as one of the country’s most successful since the 2013-2014 Maidan Revolution. Recently, an article in Foreign Affairs argued that Ukraine’s decentralization has ‘brought the country together’ in the face of Russia’s 2022 invasion, fostering political legitimacy, solidarity, and community pride. I offer a different perspective in my research […]
The Far Right in Ukraine
Taras Bilous is a Ukrainian historian, an editor of Commons: Journal of Social Criticism, and an activist in Sotsialniy Rukh (Social Movement). He is currently serving in the Ukrainian army. He was interviewed by Stephen R. Shalom, a member of the New Politics editorial board. Denys Pilash helped with the translation. New Politics (NP): How would you assess […]
