“좌익” 스탈린주의와 러시아 사회제국주의 강령

"Левый" сталинизм и программа российского социал-империализма

On the latest resolution of the RKRP about Putin’s “partial mobilisation”, annexation and the Ukraine War

By Michael Pröbsting, International Secretary of the Revolutionary Communist International Tendency (RCIT), 18 October 2022, www.thecommunists.net

The so-called “Russian Communist Workers' Party of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union” (РКРП-КПСС, in the following: RKRP), led by Viktor Tyulkin, is an “orthodox” Stalinist party. While substantially smaller than its bigger “brother” – Zyuganov’s KPRF – it is still a sizeable party which claims a membership of several tens of thousand members.

As we elaborated in an essay published a few months ago, the RKRP recognises – in contrast to the KPRF as well as pseudo-Trotskyist groups like Alan Woods’ IMT – the imperialist nature of Russia. ^[1] However, such insight is eclipsed by its vulgar thesis that Russia is a “lesser-evil” imperialism which communists should support against the Ukraine as well as against Western imperialism. At this point we shall not repeat our arguments against this pathetic theory of “lesser-evil” imperialism which served Stalinism in the past century as justification for its collaboration with, alternating Anglo-Saxon and Nazi-German, imperialist powers. [2]

We explained in this essay that today this lesser-evil theory serves these Stalinists as justification for supporting Putin’s invasion and its brutal colonial war against the Ukraine. In contrast, authentic Marxists have recognised the dual character of this conflict since the very beginning. It is an imperialist war waged by Russia against the Ukraine. At the same time, it is combined with the rivalry between the Great Powers of West and East. From such a dual character of the conflict follows the dual tactic which the RCIT and its comrades in Socialist Tendency (Russia) have advocated since the beginning of the war: Defend the Ukraine against Putin’s invasion! Against Russian and against NATO imperialism! ^[3]

Shamefully, the RKRP leadership stands on the other side of the barricade. While formally acknowledging Russia’s bourgeois and imperialist character, it still advocates support for Russia’s invasion and annexation of the Ukraine under the pretext of the struggle “against fascism and NATO”.

To the last consequence

The latest resolution of the RKRP’s Central Committee not only confirms our critique of this party but also demonstrates that it is prepared to carry out its social-imperialist policy to the last consequence. [4]

Let us start with reproducing the most important excerpts of this statement. First, the RKRP repeats its “lesser-evil” theory. “The cause of the war is the struggle of the largest imperialist predators, led by the United States, for world hegemony. (…) Russian imperialism, which is much weaker and in its infancy, is fighting for its place in the market world, for the right to exploit the country's energy and other resources.”

So, despite its imperialist character, Russia is able to wage progressive wars … because of its supposed “Soviet legacy” (which, as everyone knows, has been violently denounced by Yeltsin and Putin since more than three decades!) [5] In contrast, both the Ukraine as well as NATO are “fascist”.

“The scientific assessment given by our party of the aggressive foreign policy of the United States and its NATO allies, as objectively fascist, continuing the chain of reprisals against sovereign states: Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Donbass, was confirmed by our party. Today, on the territory of Ukraine, more than 50 countries are waging war with Russia and Donbass under the iron control of the United States. Ukrainian fascism, which is a product of the policy of American mentors, is real living fascism, which recognizes itself as fascism - the heir of Hitler's accomplices. Due to the presence of the Soviet military legacy, Russia today is the only country capable of resisting the predatory pack of imperialists led by the United States. In the event of Russia's defeat, repeating the fate of Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, the iron heel of the modern fascist dictatorship will be established over most countries of the world for a long time. In this regard, the struggle of the Russian armed forces to suppress fascism in Ukraine is legitimate.“

It is not difficult to see that the RKRP applies not a scientific but a charlatan-type of analysis. If the NATO countries are not only imperialist (which they are, of course) but also “fascist”, how do these party leaders explain that bourgeois democracy exists in most of these countries, with limited democratic rights and many trade unions and parties (including “communist” parties which are certainly no less “communist” than the RKRP – not that this party sets the bar very high!). Does this not make a mockery of the category “fascist” … or of the RKRP standard of “scientific assessment”?!

“Liberate” the Ukrainian people against their resistance?

Hence, it is only consequential that the RKRP leadership considers Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine as “objectively progressive”, despite its recognition of the bourgeois character of the regime.

“The Plenum of the Central Committee of the RKRP decides: Recognize that the fighting currently underway against the fascist regime in the territory of the former Soviet Ukraine is legitimate.”

“We have noted many times that this war on the part of the Russian Federation, although being waged by a bourgeois state, has a defensive character against the imperialist policy of the reactionary alliance of Western powers and contains a positive component. The Russian state, while expressing the interests and aspirations of the Russian bourgeoisie to dispose of natural resources and to exploit the labour force, at the same time has to take into account the progressive sentiments of a significant part of Russian society. Russian workers sympathize with the Ukrainians, who found themselves under a terrorist dictatorship and total Nazi propaganda. Thus, the Russian bourgeois state is forced to suppress fascism and help the national liberation struggle in Ukraine.”

It is really unfortunate that the stubborn Ukrainians don’t view this war as one which would serve their “national liberation” but rather as one of colonial occupation! They are so unanimous in their rejection of this aggression that since the first day of the war, tens of thousands of young men and women have volunteered to serve in the army to fight the invaders! What a “surprise” that there are no anti-war demonstrations in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Lviv! Compare this with the situation in Russia where people demonstrate against the war and against the “partial mobilisation”, where the regime must offer relatively high salaries for men in the poorest regions of the country in order to make them join the army, and where hundreds of thousands of men flee the country so that they must not participate in this reactionary onslaught against the Ukrainian people!

It is obvious that the RKRP leaders, trapped in a bizarre phantasy world of “Ruskij Mir” social-chauvinism, wish to “liberate” the Ukrainian people against their will and against their resistance! In the real world, this is not called “liberation” of a people but colonialist rape!

It is also worth noting that the RKPR claims that Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine has been caused by … “the progressive sentiments of a significant part of Russian society” and of “Russian workers sympathize with the Ukrainians, who found themselves under a terrorist dictatorship and total Nazi propaganda.” So, we are informed that Putin’s militarism and aggressive foreign policy is not driven by the inherent expansionism of Russian imperialism (see Chechnya 1994-96, 1999-2009 [6]; Georgia 2008, Syria since 2015, [7] Kazakhstan 2022 [8]), by the Great Russian chauvinist denial of the existence of a separate Ukrainian nation, or by the pressure of the extreme right-wing warmongers a la Alexander Dugin and milbloggers like Igor Strelkov … but by the “progressive pressure of the working class”! Welcome to the parallel universe of Stalino-chauvinist phantasies!

RKRP: Support Putin’s war, annexation and “partial mobilisation” … but denounce the anti-war movement!

But neither logic nor reality shall impress the RKRP leaders. Hence, they call international communists to “promote” Putin’s war. “Therefore, the RKRP and orthodox Marxists believe that the main task of the world proletariat now is to prevent international imperialism and its satellites (…) and Bandera’s attack detachments from defeating bourgeois Russia. It is not in the interests of the working class that Russia repeats the fate of Iraq and Libya. The RKRP considers it necessary to promote the Special Military Operation (this is the official Putinist term for Russia’s war against the Ukraine, Ed.) in terms of measures and actions aimed at defeating the Ukrainian Nazis (fascists).”

Once the RKRP leaders have boarded the social-chauvinist train, they are determined to stay on it and pass through all the inevitable stations of Russia’s imperialist war. Hence, they call to recognize the shame referendums which the Putin regime organised in order to legitimise the annexation of four occupied regions of eastern and southern Ukraine (Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia).

“Recognize the progressive significance of the results of the popular referendums of the LPR, DPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions on their entry into Russia. To express gratitude to the residents who showed courage and, under pressure and shelling from the Nazis, took part in the vote and retained fraternal feelings for the peoples of Russia.”

Likewise, they support Putin’s “partial mobilisation” to strengthen Russia’s army and its efforts to occupy parts of the Ukraine. “Recognize the inevitability of military mobilization for the suppression of fascism.”

(Dis)armed with such a program of full-scale imperialist militarism, the RKRP leaders are therefore only logical if if they strongly denounce the anti-war movement as “agents of U.S. imperialism”. “The liberal, pro-Western part of Russian society wants to take advantage of the situation and organize an alleged popular protest “against the war” and for the withdrawal of troops (…). We are already seeing the consequences of such protests, directed by the USA or its satellites, in Ukraine - the degradation of the nation to the state of Nazism. The same can happen in the Russian Federation and in European countries in the event of the defeat of the Russian Federation and Donbass in Ukraine.”

It might cheer the heart of the RKRP’s leaders to learn that Alan Woods’ IMT has a similar view as it also considers the anti-war movement in Russia as “negligible and completely dominated by pro-Western liberal forces which are out of touch with the general public.” [9]

Likewise, the RKRP denounces those socialists in Russia who call for an end of Putin’s war. Stopping the war, according to these shameless social-imperialists, would only serve … “fascism”! “Hence, they [“some erroneous socialists” according to the RKRP, Ed.] conclude that the war must be stopped immediately and all troops must be withdrawn from Ukraine! (…) [T]he call to “stop the war” is tantamount to a proposal to stop beating the Nazis.”

The “critical” tail of Zyuganov’s KPRF

The RCIT and its comrades in “Socialist Tendency” (Russia) have repeatedly denounced Zyuganov’s KPRF which has acted as a servant of Putin since the beginning of the war. [10] However, while using more critical words about the bonapartist regime of the Kremlin than its bigger brother, the RKRP leaders essentially follow the same policy of social-chauvinist support for an imperialist war! Effectively, Tyulkin’s RKRP is the “critical” tail of Zyuganov’s KPRF.

Authentic Marxists in Russia must resolutely combat the theory and program of forces like the RKRP. As we noted in our above-mentioned essay on the theory of “lesser-evil” imperialism: “The theory of “lesser-evil” imperialism is wrong in principle. There are stronger and weaker, bigger and smaller imperialist states. None of them is a “lesser evil”. They are all enemies of the working class and the oppressed peoples. The people in Afghanistan and Iraq, suffering from years of U.S. war and occupation as well as the people of Chechnya and Syria, tortured by Russia, bear witness to the equally criminal character of the imperialist powers of East and West. It is impermissible for socialists to lend support, in any form, to one or the other of these imperialist states. (…) The RCIT therefore unreservedly condemns the theory of “lesser-evil” imperialism. We strongly reject the position advocated by various Stalinist and pseudo-Trotskyist forces – like the RKRP (Russia), the KKE (Greece) or Alan Woods’ IMT – that Russia would constitute such a “lesser-evil” imperialist power. This thesis is wrong and only serves as an excuse for downplaying the reactionary role of Russian imperialism. The practical consequences of this revisionist theory are either open support for its reactionary wars of aggression (RKRP) or, at the least, denunciation of the legitimate resistance of oppressed people like in Syria or in the Ukraine (KKE, IMT).”

Make no mistake: the RKRP leaders and like-minded “communists” support Putin’s invasion, they support the annexation of parts of the Ukraine, they support the regime’s “partial mobilisation” and they oppose anti-war demonstrations. In words, they might swear to the “Communist Manifesto” of Marx and Engels and pray to Lenin on Sunday, but in deeds they are servile servants of Russian imperialism. The are enemies of the working class and the oppressed people!

V. I. Lenin and G. Zinoviev noted in “Socialism and War” – their well-known pamphlet published during World War I – that authentic Marxists must have nothing to do with any kind of social-chauvinist traitors. “Social-chauvinism is advocacy of the idea of “defence of the fatherland” in the present war. (…) Social-chauvinism, which is, in effect, defence of the privileges, the advantages, the right to pillage and plunder, of one’s “own” (or any) imperialist bourgeoisie, is the utter betrayal of all socialist convictions and of the decision of the Basle International Socialist Congress.” ^[11]

It should not go unmentioned that the RKRP is not an isolated party in the international Stalinist milieu. There are still various forces which collaborate with these “communist” war-mongers or which, at least, offer them a tribune to spread their social-imperialist filth. ^[12] For example, their statements are regularly republished by www.solidnet.org, a website run by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE). The KKE is a key force in the international Stalinist milieu since it has been the initiator of the so-called International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties – a loose alliance which holds annual conferences since 1998 and which collaborates on a federalist and loose basis. ^[13] While even the KKE sometimes feels embarrassed by the shameless social-chauvinist tirades of the RKRP and occasionally criticizes them, [14] they still consider them as “comrades” as advertise their documents on their website.

Likewise, the RKRP was invited to speak at the “Kommunismus Kongress 2022” – a conference which was organized by German Stalinists in October 2022. [15]

The struggle against imperialist war necessitates the struggle against the social-imperialist servants

It is an axiom that the struggle against imperialist war is impossible without struggle against its promoters, its defenders and its apologists. This includes particularly those war advocates who conceal their support for imperialist war with “communist” phrases. Authentic socialists and communists must wage an intransigent political and ideological struggle against such servile social-imperialist servants! Hence, our comrades in Russia have repeatedly emphasized that fighting against Putin’s colonial war in the Ukraine requires a merciless struggle against its social-chauvinist lackeys like the KPRF and the RKRP.

In a draft resolution for the famous Zimmerwald Conference – held in the midst of World War I in 1915 – Lenin and the Bolsheviks noted: “The working class cannot achieve its historic aims without waging a most resolute struggle against both forthright opportunism and social-chauvinism (...) and the so-called Centre, which has surrendered the Marxist stand to the chauvinists.” ^[16]

This is no less true today when social-chauvinist parties like the KPRF, the RKRP or the OKP advocate the ideas “Ruskij Mir” social-imperialism and support Putin’s colonial war against the Ukrainian people. These forces behave like the social-chauvinists about whom Lenin spoke in the above-mentioned quote. It is not possible to fight against Putin’s war without fighting its “socialist” or “communist” supporters.

We repeat our appeal to authentic Marxists that they need to decisively break with those who contaminate communism with dirty collaboration with the “Ruskij Mir” social-chauvinists! Supporters of “Socialist Tendency” have published an “Open Letter to Russian Socialists” in which they call revolutionaries to join us in the struggle against social-imperialism and chauvinist patriotism. [17] Indeed, this is one of the most crucial tasks of today!

- “부분 동원령”과 병합에 대한 공노당의 최근 결의안에 대하여

미하엘 프뢰브스팅, 혁명적 공산주의인터내셔널 동맹 (RCIT) 국제서기, 2022년 10월 18일, www.thecommunists.net

차례

1. “이 전쟁에서 우리 러시아 제국주의를 지지하라. 해악이 덜한 제국주의이므로”

2. “우크라이나 파시즘을 진압하기 위한 러시아군의 점령과 병탄은 정당하다”

3. “우크라이나 인민의 저항에 맞서 우크라이나 인민을 ‘해방’하라!“

4. “푸틴의 전쟁과 동원령을 지지하라. 그러나 반전 운동은 규탄하라!”

5. 주가노프 러연방공산당 (KPRF)에 대한 “비판적” 추수

6. 제국주의 전쟁에 대항하는 투쟁은 사회제국주의 마름들에 대항하는 투쟁을 요구한다

* * * *

빅토르 튤킨이 이끄는 러시아공산주의노동자당 (RKRP; 이하 공노당)은 “정통” 스탈린주의 당을 자임하는 당이다. 맏형 러시아연방공산당(KPRF)보다 훨씬 작지만 여전히 수만 명의 당원을 자처하는 상당 규모의 정당이다.

1. “이 전쟁에서 우리 러시아 제국주의를 지지하라. 해악이 덜한 제국주의이므로.”

우리가 몇 달 전에 발표한 논설에서 자세히 설명했듯이, 공노당은 ㅡ 주가노프의 러연방공산당뿐만 아니라 앨런 우즈의 IMT와 같은 사이비 트로츠키주의 조직들과도 대조적으로 ㅡ 러시아의 제국주의적 성격을 인정한다.[1] 그러나 그러한 통찰은 러시아가 해악이 덜한 “차악” 제국주의라는 자신의 비속한 테제에 의해 실추되어버린다. 공산주의자들은 이 “차악” 제국주의를 지지해야 한다며, 서방 제국주의에 대항해서뿐만 아니라 반식민지 우크라이나에 대항해서도 이 “차악” 러 제국주의를 지지해야 한다고 한다. 지난 세기에 스탈린주의가 앵글로색슨 제국주의와 나치독일 제국주의를 번갈아 가며 손잡고 협력한 것을 정당화하기 위한 논리로 이 “차악” 제국주의 이론을 사용한 사실은 이미 잘 알려져 있다. 여기서는 이 한심한 "차악" 제국주의 이론에 대한 우리의 반박 주장을 되풀이하지 않을 것이다.[2]

위 논설에서 우리가 지적했듯이, 그리스공산당 유형의 스탈린주의자들에 이어 오늘은 공노당 형의 스탈린주의자들이 푸틴의 우크라이나 침략과 잔학한 식민전쟁을 지지하기 위한 정당화 논리로 이 차악 이론을 사용한다. 이와는 달리, 진정한 맑스주의자들은 그 시작 시점부터 이 충돌의 이중적 성격을 인식했다. 이 충돌은 러시아가 우크라이나를 상대로 벌이는 제국주의 전쟁이다. 동시에 동서 강대국 패권쟁투와 결합되어 있는 전쟁이다. 분쟁의 이 같은 이중적 성격으로부터 이중적 전술이 나온다. RCIT와 사회주의동맹 (러시아) 동지들이 개전 당초부터 제창해온 다음과 같은 이중적 전술 말이다. 푸틴의 침략에 대항하여 우크라이나를 방어하라! 러시아 제국주의와 나토 제국주의 모두에 맞서자![3]

부끄럽게도, 공노당 지도부는 바리케이드의 반대편에 서 있다. 이들이 러시아 국가의 부르주아적 · 제국주의적 성격을 정식으로 인정하긴 하지만, 여전히 "파시즘과 나토에 대항하는" 투쟁이라는 구실로 러시아의 우크라이나 침공과 병합에 대한 지지를 제창한다.

2. “우크라이나 파시즘을 진압하기 위한 러시아군의 점령과 병탄은 정당하다”

공노당 중앙위원회의 최근 결의안은 이 당에 대한 우리의 비판을 확인해줄 뿐만 아니라 자신의 사회제국주의 정책을 최종 결말까지 밀어갈 태세임을 보여준다.[4]

이 결의안의 가장 중요한 대목을 여기서 발췌 인용하는 것으로 시작하자. 먼저, 차악 이론의 재강조다. "미국을 위시한 최대 제국주의 포식자들의 세계패권을 위한 투쟁이 이 전쟁의 원인이다.... 훨씬 약하고 걸음마 단계인 러시아 제국주의는 세계시장에서 자신의 지위를 위해 싸우고 있다. 나라의 에너지를 비롯한 그 밖의 자원을 개발 이용할 권리를 위해 싸우고 있는 것이다."

그리하여 그 제국주의적 성격에도 불구하고 러시아가 진보적 전쟁을 할 수 있는 것은 “소련의 유산” 때문이라고 한다. (그러나 모두 알다시피, 이 ”소련 유산“은 30여 년 동안 옐친과 푸틴에 의해 격렬하게 비난당해왔다!).[5] 반면, 나토와 우크라이나는 모두 "파시스트" 세력이다.

“미국과 나토 동맹국들의 공격적인 대외정책에 대해 객관적으로 파시스트라고 우리 당이 내린 과학적 평가는 그들이 주권국가들 ㅡ 유고슬라비아, 이라크, 리비아, 시리아, 돈바스 ㅡ 에 대한 보복의 사슬을 이어가고 있는 것에 의해 확인되고 있다. 오늘 우크라이나 영토에서는 50여 개국이 미국의 철권 통제 아래 러시아, 돈바스와 전쟁을 벌이고 있다. 우크라이나 파시즘은 미국 멘토들의 정책의 산물로, 스스로를 파시즘으로 인정하는 진짜배기 살아있는 파시즘이다. 히틀러 공범들의 후계자 파시즘이다. 소련 군사 유산의 존재 덕에 오늘 러시아는 미국 주도 제국주의 포식자 무리에 저항할 수 있는 유일한 나라다. 러시아의 패배 시 유고슬라비아, 이라크, 리비아의 운명을 되풀이하며 세계 대부분의 나라에 현대 파시스트 독재의 강철군화 압제가 오랫동안 수립될 것이다. 이 점에서 우크라이나에서 파시즘을 진압하기 위한 러시아군의 투쟁은 정당하다.”

과학적 평가분석이 아니라 돌팔이 야바위 형의 평가분석을 하고 있다는 것을 알기란 어렵지 않다. 나토 나라들이 단지 제국주의일 뿐만 아니라 "파시스트"라면, 제한된 민주적 권리와 많은 노동조합과 당들 (분명히 공노당 못지않게 "공산주의"적인 당들을 포함하여)을 지닌 부르주아 민주주의가 이 나라들에 존재하는 것을 공노당 지도부는 어떻게 설명하는가? 이것은 "파시스트" 범주를 웃음거리로 만드는 것이 아닌가? 아니, "과학적 평가"에 대한 공노당의 기준을 웃음거리로 만드는 것이 아닌가?!

3. “우크라이나 인민의 저항에 맞서 우크라이나 인민을 ‘해방’하라!“

공노당 지도부가 푸틴 정권의 부르주아적 성격을 인정함에도 불구하고 푸틴의 우크라이나 침공을 "객관적으로 진보적"이라고 간주하는 것은 이러한 돌팔이 협잡 논리에서는 지극히 자연스런 것이다.

"공산주의노동자당 중앙위원회 전원회의는 다음과 같이 결의한다. 구소련 우크라이나의 영토에서 현재 진행 중인 파시스트 정권과의 싸움은 정당하다."

"러시아연방 측에서 이 전쟁이 비록 부르주아 국가가 벌이고 있지만 반동적인 서방 열강 동맹의 제국주의 정책에 대항하는 방어적 성격을 가지고 있으며 긍정적인 요소를 포함하고 있다는 점을 우리는 여러 차례 지적해왔다. 러시아 국가는 천연자원을 처분하고 노동인력을 착취하려는 러시아 부르주아지의 이익과 열망을 표현하지만, 동시에 러시아 사회 상당 부분의 진보적 정서를 고려하지 않으면 안 된다. 러시아 노동자들은 테러 독재와 전면적인 나치 프로파간다 아래 놓여 있는 우크라이나인들을 동정한다. 따라서 러시아 부르주아 국가는 파시즘을 진압하고 우크라이나의 민족해방투쟁을 도울 수밖에 없다."

완고한 우크라이나인들이 이 전쟁을 자신들의 "민족 해방"을 도와주는 전쟁으로 보지 않고 오히려 식민점령 전쟁으로 보는 것은 정말 안타까운 일이다! 저 완고한 우크라이나인들이 이 침략에 대해 만장일치로 거부 입장을 취하다보니 전쟁 첫날부터 수만 명의 젊은 남녀들이 침략자들과 싸우기 위해 자원해서 군 복무에 들어가질 않나. 키이우, 하르키우, 르비우에서는 어떤 반전 시위도 없질 않나. 정말 "놀랍군"! 이것을, 전쟁과 "부분 동원령"에 반대하여 사람들이 시위를 하는 러시아 상황과 비교해 보라. 군 입대를 시키기 위해 나라의 가장 가난한 지역들의