We wish to thank Dick Nichols, European Editor of the Australian Magazine Green Left Weekly, who drew our attention to an important article on Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine, written by the well-known Marxist scholar and historian Paul Le Blanc.

The author takes the side of Ukraine Against Russia :

• I favour the defeat of Vladimir Putin’s invasion and victory for Ukrainian self-determination.
• I oppose imperialism in all its forms – including Putin’s invasion and NATO.
• I oppose capitalism and favour its replacement with the genuine political and economic democracy of socialism everywhere: the United States, Ukraine, Russia etc.

More about the author here : “Paul Le Blanc (born 1947) is an American historian at La Roche University in Pittsburgh as well as labor and socialist activist who has written or edited more than 30 books on topics such as Leon Trotsky and Rosa Luxemburg.^[1][2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Le_Blanc_(historian)

Paul Le Blanc launches his new book, in person, on November 7 2023 in Dublin

Making sense of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Paul Le Blanc

6 October, 2023

A momentous development has drawn my attention away from the unfolding climate catastrophe on which I have been riveted. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a major factor fragmenting the left-wing forces I hoped would become a major force in the revolutionary struggle for climate justice and human survival. Recently, I have met Russians and Ukrainians — and others from Brazil, Argentina and the United States — who have all made it clear to me that I cannot avoid dealing with this issue.1

In this article, I will attempt to do three things:

1. Review what some on the left assert either in favour of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or against the Ukrainian response;
2. Review Russian and Ukrainian realities and views on the war; and
3. Touch on essential aspects of Ukrainian resistance to Russia’s invasion (including where the weapons come from).

In the footnotes I offer sources that have influenced my analysis and that I believe may be useful for those seeking to make sense of these realities. But I owe it to readers to indicate my own position from the outset. This is my bottom-line: