KPRF leader Gennady Zyuganov meets President Putin to confirm his role as a loyal servant of Russian imperialism

By Michael Pröbsting, International Secretary of the Revolutionary Communist International Tendency (RCIT), 15 February 2023, www.thecommunists.net

Two days ago, Gennady Zyuganov – leader of Russia’s largest “Communist” Party – met President Putin. It was a very amicable meeting which demonstrated again how close Russia’s official “communists” and the bonapartist regime of Putin are. In fact, the far-reaching agreements between the two reveals that, effectively, they are political friends united in the service of the imperialist “Ruskij Mir”.

According to the official transcript, published by the Kremlin, the Russian President praised the KPRF for their longstanding record as a “patriotic” party. [1] “I hope as a force representing a significant part of the country’s patriotic movement, the Communist Party will remain such going forward. The party makes a substantial contribution to the political discussion and the quest for the best solutions to move the country forward in the social sphere, the economy, defence and security – we have never had any differences on that level, I think. On the contrary, the Communist Party was often one step ahead and raised national security issues of today and tomorrow with authorities at all levels. Without a doubt, our dialogue is now doubly or even triply important. I am pleased to see you.”

Zyuganov could not but give back the compliments: “It should be said that you have always been receptive to our requests, proposals, and legislative initiatives. In this regard, we value our dialogue, especially now that, in fact, a crusade and a new war have been declared on our civilisation and the entire Russian world. (…) What matters most now is the “party of Russia,” its sovereignty, independence and our common freedom. The entire left-wing patriotic bloc that I head – 56 organisations in all – is standing behind it strongly as one.”

At the end of their meeting Zyuganov states once more his unconditional support for Putin’s imperialist war against the Ukrainian people (which the KPRF leader denounces as “Nazis”). “I believe the fight against Nazis today has taken on a fateful significance. (…) But, I hope, we must win – and we will win.” To which Putin enthusiastically replies: “That is the way it is going to be. Thank you.”

No doubt, here were two political friends among themselves! As we did show in several documents, the Stalinist KPRF has always been a social-patriotic party which supported Putin’s war against the Chechen people in 1999-2008, his military intervention in the Ukraine in 2014 and in Syria 2015 as well as in Kazakhstan in January 2022. [2] It is therefor only logical that Zyuganov has been a fervent supporter of Putin’s invasion in the Ukraine since the very beginning. [3]

In other words, the KPRF is an example par excellence of a social-imperialist party. It combines practical support for its imperialist “fatherland” with “communist” phraseology. [4] As such, it is of course no exception. Other Stalinist parties also serve their ruling class with no less zeal. Just take the Japanese JCP, the Spanish PCE (currently a member of the government coalition, i.e. a ruling party in a NATO state) or the French PCF (which was part of previous governments led by Jospin and Holland) – to name a few examples.

Zyuganov’s party is an important party in the international Stalinist milieu. In terms of strength at parliamentary elections, it is the strongest “communist” party in a Great Power country (if we leave aside China’s CCP which dictatorially rules the country since nearly three-quarter of a century). Only a few months ago, the KPRF was a key signatory of a statement adopted in the course of the 22nd “International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties” in in Havana – the most important annual conference of the global Stalinist movement. [5]

Shamefully, there are still “Trotskyists” in Russia which are eager to collaborate with Putin’s house “communists”. Last autumn both the RRP [6] as well as the Russian section of Alan Woods’s IMT stood candidates on the KPRF’s list at the regional elections. [7] It is a slavishly chain of political dependency: the KPRF is a servant of the Putin regime and such pseudo-“Trotskyists” are servants of the KPRF. What belongs together grows together!

Authentic socialists don’t collaborate with such advocates of “Ruskij Mir” social-chauvinism but fight against them as political enemies! The RCIT and its section Russia – “Socialist Tendency” – calls all revolutionaries to join us on the basis of a consistent internationalist and anti-imperialist program against Putin’s war against the Ukrainian people. ^[8] After one year of barbarous war, our slogan remains completely valid: Defend the Ukraine against Putin’s invasion! Against Russian and against NATO imperialism!