Union of Communists of Ukraine
The Union of Communists of Ukraine (Russian: Союз коммунистов Украины, Ukrainian: Союз комуністів України abbreviated СКУ or SKU) is a Ukrainian anti-revisionist[1] Marxist–Leninist Communist party.
Union of Communists of Ukraine Союз комуністів України | |
|---|---|
| Founded | December 1992 |
| Newspaper | Marksizm i sovremennost |
| Ideology | Communism Marxism–Leninism[1] Stalinism Anti-revisionism |
| International affiliation | IMCWP |
| European Parliament group | INITIATIVE (2013–2023) ECA (2023–)[2] |
| Verkhovna Rada | 0 / 450 |
| Website | |
| ucu-rg | |
In May 2015, a set of new Ukrainian decommunization laws came into effect, banning the Union of Communists of Ukraine from participating in electoral politics.[3]
History edit
The founding conference of the Union of Communists was held in December 1992, and it was registered with Ukrainian authorities in March 1993.[4][5] At the time of organization on 12 March 1993 it claimed to have 2,000 members in 13 oblasts.[4][5] Yurii Solomati was registered as the leader of the organization.[5] The main stronghold of the party has been Luhansk.[5] Initially many party members were also affiliated to the Communist Party of Ukraine (KPU), although the KPU soon began purge dissident elements.[5][6] Whilst the influence of the Union of Communists waned, it acted as a competitor of KPU in south-eastern Ukraine at an early stage.[6]
At the 23rd congress of the Union of Communist Parties – Communist Party of the Soviet Union held in March 1993, the Union of Communists is included as an associative member.[7] Considering itself as the legitimate heir of the CPSU, the Union of Communists demanded return of CPSU property seized by the Ukrainian state.[6] The organization called for the reconstruction of the Soviet Union.[6]
The Union of Communists began publishing the theoretical journal Marksizm i sovremennost' (Марксизм и современность, 'Marxism and Modernity') from Kyiv in 1995.[8] Politically it is close to the Russian Communist Workers Party, with many people (including Yabrova) holding dual memberships.[6]
As of the early 2000s, the group was led by Tamila Yabrova.[6]
In 2013, the party took part in the founding of the Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties.[9]
In May 2015, laws that ban communist symbols came into effect in Ukraine.[3] Despite that, the Union of Communists of Ukraine remained active.
In June 2022, the party released a statement condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine as imperialist.[10]
References edit
- ^ a b . Archived from the original on 3 July 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- ^ "European Communist Action's Founding Declaration". 27 November 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Ukraine bans Soviet symbols and criminalises sympathy for communism". The Guardian. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
- ^ a b . Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ a b c d e (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b c d e f Jane Leftwich Curry; Joan Barth Urban (1 September 2004). The Left Transformed in Post-Communist Societies: The Cases of East-Central Europe, Russia, and Ukraine. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 213, 219. ISBN 978-0-585-46676-7.
- ^ Справочник: Общественно-политические движения и партии в России (2 ed.). Информационно-справочная служба. 1993. p. 13.
- ^ В. Тюлькин (2002). Не дрогнуть на избранном пути. БФРГЦ "Слово". p. 473. ISBN 978-5-86639-029-8.
- ^ "Initiative of Communist & Workers' Parties - Home".
- ^ "Union of Communists of Ukraine: On the War and the tasks of the working class". In Defense of Communism. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
External links edit
- Archive with photos from activities of Ukrainian left groups (including the Union of Communists)