Ukraine
US-backed regime drops deadline against east Ukraine protesters, but threat of war remains
By Mike Head, 12 April 2014
The dangers of a civil war and a US-provoked war with Russia still hang over the people of Ukraine, despite the Western-backed regime in Kiev backing away from a 48-hour deadline for a violent crackdown on protesters in eastern Ukraine.
Civil war looms as pro-US regime threatens massacre of east Ukraine protesters
By Alex Lantier, 11 April 2014
Plans for a bloody crackdown by the US-backed regime in Kiev threaten to plunge Ukraine into a civil war that could draw in Russia and the NATO powers.
Imperialist hypocrisy and lies on eastern Ukraine protests
By Alex Lantier, 10 April 2014
US allegations that protests in eastern Ukraine are a Russian conspiracy are intended to justify a bloody crackdown and new escalation of the Ukraine crisis.
Ukrainian regime announces utility price hikes
By Andrea Peters, 10 April 2014
Over the course of four years, Ukraine’s Western-backed, ultra-right government plans to implement a 120 percent increase in the cost of natural gas for households.
US threatens to “re-examine force posture” over Ukraine
By Chris Marsden, 9 April 2014
Moscow has accused the US of supplying mercenaries to forcibly suppress protesters in eastern Ukraine.
Pro-Russian protesters in eastern Ukraine demand Crimean-style referendum
By Johannes Stern, 8 April 2014
Conflicts between the pro-Western Kiev regime and pro-Russian regions in eastern Ukraine pose the threat of civil war and war between the imperialist powers and Russia.
Syria, Russia and Ukraine
By Jean Shaoul, 8 April 2014
The ongoing war in Syria, like the wars for regime change in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, is in part aimed against Russian political and commercial interests in the region.
NATO’s aggression against Russia and the danger of war in Europe
By Chris Marsden and Julie Hyland, 7 April 2014
The NATO foreign ministers summit last week set out plans for the military alliance’s expansion up to Russia’s borders, including war games and the possible stationing of troops in neighbouring states.
EU discusses further Russia sanctions as US steps up war rhetoric
By Chris Marsden, 7 April 2014
The ratings agency Moody’s has downgraded Ukraine’s credit rating from “extremely speculative” to “default imminent with little prospect for recovery.”
EU and Ukrainian regime seek to discipline fascist Right Sector
By Stefan Steinberg and Chris Marsden, 5 April 2014
Since the February putsch in Kiev, ties between the supposedly “democratic” regime installed by Washington and its fascist allies have become increasingly tense.
Russia warns NATO over military build-up in eastern Europe
By Johannes Stern and Alex Lantier, 4 April 2014
NATO’s reckless military build-up in Eastern Europe, carried out over the Kremlin oligarchy’s warnings of escalation, poses the risk of war.
Popular discontent grows with German media lies in Ukraine crisis
By Anna Rombach, 4 April 2014
Many people are repulsed by the unprecedented wave of anti-Russian propaganda that has dominated the German media recently.
NATO maneuvers with Georgia, Ukraine threaten war with Russia
By Alex Lantier, 3 April 2014
The NATO military alliance is provocatively seeking to install its forces on Russia’s borders.
The crisis in Ukraine and the sea change in German foreign policy
By Peter Schwarz, 3 April 2014
German foreign policy has shifted toward confrontation with Russia. Berlin is pursuing a course of aggressive imperialist expansion along the same lines as in 1914 and 1941.
NATO summit ends cooperation with Russia and announces further troop build-up
By Chris Marsden, 2 April 2014
The US and its NATO allies agreed yesterday to “suspend all practical civilian and military cooperation between NATO and Russia.”
France’s New Anti-capitalist Party backs fascist-led putsch in Ukraine
By Alex Lantier, 2 April 2014
The NPA’s support for a putsch it admits is led by fascist groups constitutes irrefutable proof of its passage into the camp of the blackest political reaction.
Medvedev visits Crimea, as Putin announces partial troop withdrawal from Ukraine border
By Chris Marsden, 1 April 2014
Claims of a Russian troop build-up are part of a campaign to justify US and European aggression that centres on the incorporation of neighbouring states into NATO.
Ukraine: Right Sector militias besiege Ukrainian parliament
By Stefan Steinberg, 1 April 2014
Since Wednesday, hundreds of militia members from the neo-fascist Right Sector organization have besieged the Ukrainian parliament on a daily basis.
NATO steps up military pressure on Russia
By Stefan Steinberg and Peter Schwarz, 31 March 2014
NATO continued its military build-up on the Russian border as talks between top US and Russian foreign officials ended without agreement.
Obama demands Russia withdraw troops from Ukraine border
By Will Morrow, 29 March 2014
Following his speech in Brussels on Wednesday, Obama appeared in an interview with CBS News yesterday in which he again sought to present the United States as a global upholder of peace and democracy and Russia as an aggressor.
German magazine Die Zeit calls for reintroduction of compulsory military service
By Christoph Dreier, 29 March 2014
In response to the crisis in Ukraine, the weekly magazine Die Zeit and high-ranking generals are calling for the return of compulsory military service.
Ukraine conflict exacerbates tensions in the Caucasus
By Clara Weiss, 29 March 2014
The Caucasus has been a renewed focal point of imperialist interests since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Canada’s Harper stokes imperialism’s drive against Russia
By Keith Jones, 29 March 2014
Canadian Prime Minster Stephen Harper has hectored European leaders to intensify the US-led drive to bully and isolate Russia, blithely stoking a conflict that could easily spin into a global military conflagration.
What way forward for workers in Ukraine?
By Alex Lantier, 28 March 2014
Devastating austerity measures imposed by the unelected pro-US regime in Kiev confirm the perspective for struggle outlined by the ICFI amid the dissolution of the USSR.
The real face of Ukraine’s Maidan “democrats”
By Ulrich Rippert, 28 March 2014
The violent death of Alexander Musytchko and an intercepted telephone conversation with Yulia Timoschenko have exposed the propaganda used by the German government and its allies to justify their actions in Ukraine.
India attempts precarious balancing act in Ukraine crisis
By Deepal Jayasekera and Keith Jones, 28 March 2014
With Russia and the US now pitted against each other in the most serious crisis in Europe since the end of the Second World War, New Delhi is groping for a stance that will enable it to avoid seriously damaging its relations with either Moscow or Washington.
Obama’s speech on Ukraine: Propaganda and lies
By Patrick Martin, 27 March 2014
The US president delivered a speech of pure propaganda, aimed at justifying an aggressive and confrontational policy in Ukraine.
New Zealand joins Washington’s sanctions against Russia
By John Braddock, 27 March 2014
The New Zealand government has aligned itself with the escalating US and EU provocations against Moscow.
US, EU press Russia to recognize Ukraine’s putschist regime
By Alex Lantier, 26 March 2014
Obama spoke in The Hague yesterday to increase military and economic pressure on Moscow to recognize the regime in Kiev.
Leader of US-backed Ukrainian fascist Right Sector militia killed in police shootout
By Alex Lantier, 26 March 2014
Oleksandr Muzychko was killed in a high-level police operation that underscores the instability of the far-right Western-backed regime in Kiev.
What was US teachers union president Randi Weingarten doing in Kiev?
By Jerry White, 26 March 2014
The president of the American Federation of Teachers traveled to Kiev to praise the Western-backed regime installed through a fascist-led coup.
The US State Department’s “labor man” in Ukraine
By Jerry White, 26 March 2014
The KVPU, whose headquarters served as an organizing center for the right-wing Maidan protests, has long been financed by State Department money funneled through the AFL-CIO’s American Center for International Labor Solidarity.
G7 powers exploit Ukraine crisis to isolate Russia
By Mike Head, 25 March 2014
At a summit in The Hague, the major powers excluded Moscow from the Group of Eight and warned of further financial sanctions.
Leading US-backed Ukrainian politician calls for annihilation of Russia
By Mike Head, 25 March 2014
In a leaked phone conversation, Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko called for Ukrainians to take up arms against Russians and for Western powers to reduce Russia to a “scorched field.”
German foreign minister Steinmeier woos Ukrainian oligarchs
By Peter Schwarz, 25 March 2014
German foreign minister Steinmeier spent the weekend courting some of Ukraine’s wealthiest oligarchs.
US and NATO use Ukrainian crisis to advance military build-up in Eastern Europe
By Patrick O’Connor, 24 March 2014
The Obama administration is now seeking to exploit the crisis that it instigated as a new pretext for further aggressive manoeuvres.
Canada’s Harper visits Kiev to laud coup, threaten Russia
By Keith Jones, 24 March 2014
At a joint press conference with Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the interim prime minister installed as a result of last month’s coup, Harper repeatedly denounced and threatened Russia.
EU-Ukraine trade pact paves way for brutal austerity
By Mike Head, 22 March 2014
Amid intensifying sanctions and military provocations against Russia, the EU and the Western-backed government in Ukraine yesterday signed a pact that paves the way for brutal austerity measures and free market “reforms.”
German Green Party campaigns for war
By Christoph Dreier, 22 March 2014
The German government’s confrontational approach towards Russia is supported by all the parties in the federal parliament but none do so as aggressively and hysterically as the Greens.
German media seeks to paint Putin as new “Hitler”
By Ulrich Rippert, 22 March 2014
A prominent Germany newspaper recently interviewed Ukrainian oligarch Yulia Tymoshenko, who accused Russia of seeking to “redraw the map of the world through war, mass murder and blood.”
Anti-Russia propaganda and the fabrication of a new pro-war consensus
By Alex Lantier, 21 March 2014
Claims that Washington is defending Ukraine against Russian aggression are lies, promoted to give discredited policies of imperialist war a new lease on life.
Australian government joins US sanctions against Russia
By Mike Head, 21 March 2014
In announcing the sanctions, the Australian foreign minister specifically warned of a potential military confrontation.
German Left Party promotes government propaganda against Russia
By Ulrich Rippert, 21 March 2014
In a statement on the situation in Ukraine, the Left Party’s executive has condemned “threats of military action by the Russian Federation.”
US, EU escalate war threats against Russia over Crimea annexation
By Johannes Stern and Alex Lantier, 20 March 2014
In response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in the Ukraine crisis, US and European officials called for putting NATO on a perpetual war footing against Moscow.
Svoboda thugs attack head of Ukrainian national television
By Johannes Stern, 20 March 2014
A shocking video on YouTube shows the reign of terror fascist thugs are unleashing in the streets of Kiev following last month’s Western-backed putsch.
German media campaigns for economic sanctions against Russia
By Johannes Stern, 20 March 2014
Following the referendum in Crimea, leading German media outlets are intensifying their warmongering while calling for tough sanctions against Russia.
US/European military provocations greet Russian annexation of Crimea
By Chris Marsden, 19 March 2014
The United States is lining up its puppet regime in Ukraine and its regional allies to prepare a series of military provocations against Russia.
US hypocrisy on Crimean independence referendum
By Chris Marsden, 19 March 2014
All invocations of Ukrainian sovereignty are in reference to a government that was installed by a coup engineered and financed by the Western powers.
Israel backs far-right coup in Ukraine
By Jean Shaoul, 18 March 2014
The Israeli government is supporting the fascist-led coup in Ukraine and keeping silent on the role of neo-Nazi and anti-Semitic forces.
US-EU sanctions against Russia: A barely veiled threat of war
By Alex Lantier, 18 March 2014
As he announced the imposition of sanctions, President Obama signaled that the US would consider all means necessary, including military action, to humiliate and crush Russia.
US, EU threaten retaliation as Crimea votes to join Russia
By Alex Lantier, 17 March 2014
US and EU officials pushed for sanctions and military escalation against Russia after Crimea rejected the Western-backed, far-right regime in Kiev and voted to join Russia.
Imperialist hypocrisy on Crimea
By Joseph Kishore, 17 March 2014
Sunday’s referendum in Crimea has been seized upon to escalate the imperialist offensive in Ukraine and Eastern Europe, whose ultimate aim is regime change or war against Russia.
The New York Times deploys C.J. Chivers to Ukraine
By Patrick Martin, 17 March 2014
The former Marine Corps officer with Special Forces training has been closely aligned with US dirty work in the Middle East and Central Asia.
US-Russia talks on Ukraine collapse ahead of Crimean independence referendum
By Alex Lantier, 15 March 2014
Pressure from Washington and the European powers is driving the Ukrainian crisis to the brink of war.
What the Western-backed regime is planning for Ukrainian workers
By Julie Hyland, 15 March 2014
Social devastation is to be unleashed against a country that has already been subjected to the scorched earth economics of capitalist restoration.
Ukraine coup intensifies conflicts within Iran’s elite
By Keith Jones, 15 March 2014
While Iran has signaled its readiness to reach an accommodation with Washington, there are huge apprehensions and bitter internal conflicts over this course of action.
Germany threatens “massive damage” to Russia ahead of Crimea referendum
By Johannes Stern and Alex Lantier, 14 March 2014
Ahead of Sunday’s referendum on the status of Crimea, Berlin and Washington are escalating pressure on Russia, risking civil war in Ukraine and war with Russia itself.
Alex Callinicos: An imperialist apologist writes on Ukraine
By Chris Marsden, 14 March 2014
Callinicos happily forgets what he wrote in 2008 because he is intent on defending the putsch carried out by Washington in Kiev and insisting that Russia is the imperialist aggressor.
After White House meeting with Ukrainian prime minister
Obama issues new threats against Russia
By Chris Marsden, 13 March 2014
The US has effectively taken operational control of the military activities of Ukraine’s neighbours.
What is behind the warmongering of the German media?
By Peter Schwarz, 12 March 2014
Two weeks after Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was chased out of office by armed gangs of fascists, the German media is virtually unanimous in support of the confrontational course adopted by Berlin and Washington towards Russia.
Kiev to build new army, impose austerity as civil war threatens Ukraine
By Alex Lantier, 12 March 2014
With Ukraine facing the likely secession of Crimea, the far-right regime in Kiev is moving to slash social spending and build a new army.
What the European Union said in 2012 about its current fascist allies in Ukraine
By Alex Lantier, 12 March 2014
The EU’s 2012 resolution condemning Ukrainian fascism refutes media claims that fascism plays only a minor role in the new pro-Western regime in Kiev.
Oligarchs to the fore once again in Ukraine
By Julie Hyland, 12 March 2014
The unelected Ukrainian government has appointed prominent oligarchs to head regional administrations in Ukraine’s most important industrial eastern regions.
War propaganda in the German media
By Ulrich Rippert, 12 March 2014
On the issue of the conflict in Ukraine leading German newspapers have replaced any serious attempt to convince their readers with a barrage of propaganda.
Denouncing Crimea referendum, US and EU step up pressure on Russia
By Johannes Stern, 11 March 2014
Officials from the EU and the US are reportedly to meet in London today to discuss another round of sanctions that could be formally adopted at an EU foreign ministers summit on March 17—the day after the Crimean referendum.
Ukraine, the United States and international law
By Joseph Kishore, 11 March 2014
The United States has systematically violated the national sovereignty of Ukraine to unconstitutionally overthrow an elected government and install a far-right regime that includes Neo-Nazis whose thugs served as the shock troops for the February 22 putsch.
US builds up military forces, threatens end to diplomacy over Ukraine
By Chris Marsden, 10 March 2014
Washington spent the weekend ramping up pressure on its allies to intensify the provocations and threats against Russia over Ukraine.
Germany: The Süddeutsche Zeitung and the poison of militarism
By Ulrich Rippert, 10 March 2014
The escalation of the crisis in Ukraine is being used to fire a media propaganda campaign against widespread anti-war attitudes in Germany.
US, Europe step up pressure as Ukrainian crisis intensifies
By Peter Symonds, 8 March 2014
A Russian foreign ministry statement condemned the US and EU sanctions as “extremely unconstructive” and warned “they will not remain unanswered.”
New Zealand parliament unanimously backs US in Ukraine crisis
By Tom Peters, 8 March 2014
Labour, the Greens and the Mana Party supported the government’s motion condemning Russia and backing the extreme right-wing US-backed regime installed in Kiev.
US, European Union impose sanctions against Russia
By Alex Lantier, 7 March 2014
The Western powers ratcheted up threats and sanctions against Russia Thursday, while the US mounted a major military buildup in Europe.
The crisis in Ukraine and the historical consequences of the dissolution of the Soviet Union
By Peter Schwarz and David North, 7 March 2014
It is becoming clearer every day that the United States and Germany instigated the crisis in Ukraine with the intention of provoking a confrontation with Russia.
German media campaigns for war in Ukraine
By Ulrich Rippert, 7 March 2014
So-called liberal German media outlets have responded to the intensification of the crisis in Ukraine with a vehement campaign for war.
Japan’s diplomacy in shambles over Ukraine crisis
By Peter Symonds, 7 March 2014
Japanese support for the US confrontation with Russia is undermining Tokyo’s efforts over the past year to forge closer ties with Moscow.
Amid Ukraine crisis, US launches military escalation in Eastern Europe
By Alex Lantier, 6 March 2014
The military moves were a continuation of the provocative stance the US has adopted following Russian moves to secure Crimea in the wake of the anti-Russian coup in Ukraine.
The fascist danger in Ukraine
By Julie Hyland, 6 March 2014
For the first time since 1945, an avowedly anti-Semitic, pro-Nazi party controls key levers of state power in a European capital, courtesy of US and European imperialism.
Leaked phone call suggests opposition snipers killed Maidan protesters
By Alex Lantier, 6 March 2014
More details are emerging on the forces the imperialist powers relied upon to oust Yanukovych.
US threatens Russia as Ukraine crisis escalates
By Chris Marsden, 5 March 2014
Having backed a fascist-led putsch in Ukraine, US officials are seeking to deepen alliances with various ex-Soviet republics in order to isolate Russia.
US imperialism, Ukraine and the danger of World War III
By Barry Grey and David North, 5 March 2014
The fact that Washington has chosen to provoke a direct confrontation with a nuclear power must be taken by the people of the world as a stark warning.
China treads cautiously after pro-US coup in Ukraine
By James Cogan, 5 March 2014
The response of China to the US- and European Union-backed coup in Ukraine, and Russia’s subsequent intervention to maintain control over the Crimean peninsula, is being closely monitored by political leaders and strategic analysts around the world. Any decision by Beijing to openly support Moscow’s actions would dramatically escalate the global tensions that now exist.
Australian government backs Washington’s anti-Russian confrontation
By Peter Symonds, 5 March 2014
The entire Australian political and media establishment has lined up in lock-step behind the Obama administration’s intervention into the Ukraine crisis, its support of last month’s fascist-led putsch and its denunciations of Russian President Vladimir Putin for the dispatch of troops into Crimea.
US steps up pressure on Russia amid growing risk of war over Ukraine
By Stefan Steinberg, 4 March 2014
The world is being brought face to face with the disastrous consequences of the dissolution of the USSR, which has left the region vulnerable to imperialist intrigue, provocations and the rise of far-right forces functioning as tools of imperialism.
US media escalates propaganda offensive on Ukraine
By Joseph Kishore and David North, 4 March 2014
In the wake of the right-wing coup in Ukraine organized by the United States and the European powers, the American media is unleashing a torrent of lies and propaganda.
Canada supports Ukraine coup, threats to Russia
By Keith Jones, 4 March 2014
Canada’s Conservative government is issuing bellicose threats against Russia in unison with the Obama administration.
US-backed Ukrainian regime mobilizes reserves, threatening war with Russia
By Alex Lantier, 3 March 2014
The tensions between Moscow and Kiev directly raise the risk of a clash between Russia and the NATO powers backing Kiev.
The crisis in Ukraine
By The International Committee of the Fourth International, 3 March 2014
The crisis that has erupted in Ukraine following the right-wing coup engineered by the United States and Germany and the intervention of Russia into Crimea has created the most dangerous international confrontation since the end of World War II.
The political fraud of International Viewpoint’s statement on Ukraine
the International Committee of the Fourth International, 3 March 2014
The attribution of this statement to the ICFI is a political provocation whose purpose is to discredit Trotskyism by associating it with the right-wing politics of the neo-Pabloite organizations.
Ukraine alleges Russian “invasion” of Crimea as Obama warns of “costs”
By Chris Marsden, 1 March 2014
The putsch engineered by Washington in alliance with corrupt oligarchs and fascist gangs threatens to lead to a direct clash between Russia and the US and European powers.
Obama and Kerry lecture Russia on Ukraine
By Bill Van Auken, 1 March 2014
Who are Obama and Kerry to lecture Moscow on “stability” and “territorial integrity” after US imperialism has promoted mayhem and the breakup of states in the region?
US, Europe step up threats against Russia over Ukraine
By Stefan Steinberg, 28 February 2014
US and European statements calling upon other countries to avoid “provocative action” in Ukraine are utterly hypocritical.
After pro-EU putsch in Ukraine, Russia puts military on alert
By Alex Lantier, 27 February 2014
Moscow carried out large-scale military exercises yesterday amid rising tensions over the Crimea with the Western-backed, far-right regime in Kiev.
The geopolitical dimensions of the coup in Ukraine
By Peter Schwarz, 27 February 2014
What is at stake in the Ukraine is an international struggle for power and influence that stretches back a quarter of a century.
Attempts of EU, far-right opposition to set up Ukraine government collapse
By Alex Lantier, 26 February 2014
Amid pressure for austerity from international banks and rising tensions with Russia, Saturday’s fascist-led putsch is proving to be an attempt to impose a dictatorship of finance capital.
Coup in Ukraine: A warning to the international working class
By Peter Schwarz, 25 February 2014
What has seemed unthinkable since 1945 has come to pass: while the US and Germany ruthlessly destabilized Ukraine, fascists have become the decisive force on the ground.
Western-backed Ukrainian opposition seizes power in fascist-led putsch
By Chris Marsden, 24 February 2014
After Saturday’s putsch backed by the US and European Union, fascistic elements allied to various sections of the Ukrainian oligarchy have seized Kiev.
French government applauds coup in Ukraine
By Kumaran Ira, 24 February 2014
Paris’ embrace of Ukrainian fascists exposes the political criminality of its foreign policy and the hypocrisy of its claims to oppose neo-fascism in France.
Ukrainian regime bows to pressure from Washington, EU and far-right opposition
By Peter Schwarz and Alex Lantier, 22 February 2014
On Friday, President Viktor Yanukovych signed an agreement meeting key demands of the far-right demonstrators in Ukraine.
Dozens killed in Ukraine as EU and Washington step up pressure on Yanukovych government
By Stefan Steinberg, 21 February 2014
The Obama administration and its European allies are supporting far-right and fascistic political forces to achieve their aim of regime-change in Ukraine.
Berlin and Washington foment civil war in Ukraine
By Peter Schwarz, 20 February 2014
Political leaders in Washington, Berlin and Brussels are prepared to split Ukraine, drive the country into civil war and risk a conflagration in the entire region to achieve their geopolitical goals.
US, European Union threaten sanctions against Ukraine
By Bill Van Auken, 20 February 2014
Amid warnings of a “coup” and “civil war,” Washington and the EU threatened sanctions against Ukrainian officials as part of the escalating Western campaign for regime change.
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