Empty words in Liverpool

Tales of penthouse suites, designer clothes and freebie specs have embarrassed Starmer & Co –much to the delight of the Tory press. Health Secretary Wes Streeting says he’s “proud of people who want to contribute, not just their time and volunteering, but their money to our politics. It is a noble pursuit just like giving to charity and we don’t recognise that enough. The alternative is we ask taxpayers to fund our politics. I’d think they’d rather their taxes went into the NHS and our schools or stayed in their own pockets”. Whether Lord Alli, whose generosity stretched for funding £5,000 worth of clothes for Starmer’s wife,  really is an altruistic philanthropist remains a matter of opinion but it certainly provided an amusing diversion from the dreary spectacle of Labour Party conference in Liverpool. 
The Labour Party was founded by the trade unions to give the working class its own voice within Parliament but the Parliamentary Party leadership has been dominated by the middle class intelligentsia since the days of Ramsay McDonald. Labour has always been a mass party encompassing a very wide political spectrum though its agenda has historically bee largely set by right‑wing social-democratic factions. In the old days left factions were tolerated, though every now and again it would purge those of a Trotskyist persuasion if they strayed beyond the consensus of the senior Labour politicians and union leaders who led the movement. These days anyone who departs from the bourgeois norm can be hounded out.
While Labour Party conference is formally the supreme decision-making body of the party
 its decisions have never been binding on the Labour leadership. Hugh Gaitskell, the right-winger who led Labour from 1955 to 1963, bitterly clashed with Conference over unilateral nuclear disarmament. His attempt to dump Clause IV of the Labour Party Constitution, which committed Labour to nationalisation of all the means of production, failed though it was eventually carried out during the Blair era. 
Starmer talks about “Changed Labour”. He made his keynote speech promising that there is “light at the end of this tunnel” while making it clear that we can expect no change from him on austerity. 
Once upon a time the grandees saw the need to allow the rank-and-file some space for genuine debate. Nowadays conference has largely been reduced to a leadership rally with set piece top-table speeches and stage-managed standing ovations from the delegates in the hall.
Sure delegates defied the Starmer leadership when they voted for a motion calling for the party to reverse winter fuel allowance cuts, impose a wealth tax and revise fiscal rules. But it hardly matters as nothing will come of it anyway.
Labour is meaningless unless it reflects the wishes of the millions of its affiliated union members. That’s real democracy. But Labour will never be truly democratic if it’s not controlled by its affiliates. That’s what it was set up for in the first place. And a Labour Party whose policies reflect those of a democratic union movement would become a powerful instrument for progressive reforms that would strengthen organised labour and benefit the working class.

Zelensky's illegitimacy

Zelensky with his master, Joe Biden

by our Ukrainian correspondent Alex Miller

The famous French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau once said that “the Tyrant is one who, against the laws, proclaims himself a ruler acting in accordance with the laws. The Despot is one who places himself above the laws themselves. Thus, a Tyrant may not be a Despot, but a Despot is always Tyrant.”

The President is a person elected by voting, but the absence of an electoral process clearly indicates that we are talking about a Tyrant or Despot.

Many are willing to ignore the fact that Vladimir Zelensky came to power illegally due to gross violations of the Ukrainian constitution. Today, half a decade later, we can say that it was the political “theft of the century” that shocks society.

Nevertheless, taking into account all the illegalities described below, according to the Constitution of Ukraine, if in January 2019 Zelensky was elected president for a term of five years, then in May 2024, this five-year period passed and the presidency expired.

Like a mad joke from one of his sitcoms, Zelensky’s election promise “to free Ukraine from political corruption” was met with laughter by viewers.

At the same time, his personal political corruption began in January 2019, when his party congress falsely announced the nomination of Zelensky as a presidential candidate.

Ukrainian legislation strictly requires registration of the existing 14 regional branches of the party that participate in the nomination of a presidential candidate. However, this law was violated and Zelensky’s candidacy was nominated by only one branch of the party, registered with the Ministry of Justice in city of Kryvyi Rih. From the very beginning, Zelensky’s nomination did not comply with electoral rules.

Instead of a legitimate nomination, the Zelensky party congress turned into a theatrical play by ‘Studio Quarter-95’. For those who may be unaware, “Studio Quarter-95” is a Ukrainian comic group founded by Zelensky and some of his schoolmates in 2013. The group perform stand-up shows to entertain the masses with crude and degenerate humour. Thus, the comedian-turned-politician used vulgar shows and illegal actions to campaign for election instead of regular political rallies. Indeed, much to the dismay of millions of Ukrainians and international observers, he always lied and acted as a political clown, performing as an entertainer in all political debates and interviews.

"The law provides for a strictly regulated procedure for meeting political parties and nominating presidential candidates,” says Verkhovna Rada deputy, lawyer Volodymyr Oliynyk. “The Servant of the People party was registered as a local organisation in Kryvyi Rih, and Zelensky was nominated for president from it, and not from the all-Ukrainian party”.

Thus, the mentioned party congress was nothing more than a crude caricature of nomination – another work of fiction and corrupted political machination.

Zelensky deliberately entered into his lifelong role as a president with the help of media promotion and deep-pocketed criminal oligarchs, but not the law. They also helped to stage-manage the later creation of a political party – the ‘Servant of the People’ - for entry into the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. According to the financial report filed to the Ministry of Justice, the said ruling party rented just four square metres of office space in Kiev. This act legally proves the actual absence of the all-Ukrainian political party at the time of presidential election and its subsequent official registration after the elections.

At the same time, some new foreign actors began working in the shadows, paving the way for Zelensky’s rapid ascendancy in the murky, corrupt world of Ukrainian politics. Minister of Justice Pavel Petrenko and Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov actively worked behind the scenes to cover up the illegitimacy of Zelensky’s registration as a presidential candidate.

According to the testimony of eyewitnesses, Ukrainian deputy, journalist and right-wing politician Igor Moseychuk said “Zelensky paid a bribe of $300,000 to register his candidacy for president”.

“We were astounded by the level of backdoor corruption and public deception that accompanied the sudden rise of Vladimir Zelensky” noted one European-based election observer, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to ongoing investigations. “I think most Ukrainians would demand full accountability if they understood the full scope of the deception that occurred in 2019 and beyond”.

While a resounding defeat for democracy, the pay-for-register candidacy eventually turned out to be a relative success for Zelensky and his inner circle. Official forms were quickly filled out, and a political party without a permanent office, called the “Servant of the People”, was miraculously registered and went to the parliamentary election at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. In total, according to the election results and if the reported votes are legitimate, Zelensky's party holds 247 seats in Parliament out of 450. A party with more than 226 seats in the Ukrainian parliament can adopt any law except the Constitution of Ukraine.

Later, realising that Zelensky faced criminal charges, he and his team began work to decriminalise responsibility for falsifying documents at the Central Election Commission. They created and passed a special bill. The authors of this bill were deputies from the “Servant of the People”, in particular, Oleksandr Kornienko, who today holds the post of First Vice Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada. They also attempted to hold early new presidential elections around the time hostilities broke out between Ukraine and Russia. When it became clear that any elections could entail huge troubles and loss of power, the Office of the President, in direct violation of the law, cancelled the elections “due to the military situation in the country” preferring to remain in office as long as possible with the iron fist of tyranny. 

On 21st May this year, after the expiration of the five-year constitutional deadline for new presidential elections, Zelensky’s Tyrant colours shone brightly as he formally forfeited the negligent amount of his ill-gotten legitimacy. His term of office has expired. He no longer has the legal authority to represent Ukraine as its top official, he has cancelled all elections and has completely lost his power as head of state. Yet Zelensky continues to flaunt his illegal, arbitrary powers without the consent of the people of Ukraine. On 7th August 2024, he passed and approved another law that allows press gangs to kidnap and send unhappy people to the front line without justice.

The Ukrainian people are gradually beginning to understand that the increasingly unpopular Zelensky clearly lacks the legal power to indiscriminately send people – including the elderly and physically impaired – into war zones or make any other decisions as head of state.

But endemic corruption, of course, dates back to the bloody coup d’etat of 2014, when Ukraine ceased to exist as a rule-of-law state. Then Washington and Brussels sponsored the implementation of neo-Nazis into state. These hardened criminals continued to occupy official positions including in the Ukrainian army. It is these dark, sinister forces under the Supreme Commander of the Ukrainian Army, Vladimir Zelensky, that people face today in its existential struggle against a ruthless NATO proxy which acts out of the law.

Corruption always brings tyranny and despotism. Today Zelensky holds the office, like the Samosa dynasty that ruled Nicaragua for over forty years, for the benefit of US imperialism. Millions of Ukrainians pay the price with their lives.

Brighton rocks...

...and no more when the TUC is in town. These days the TUC’s annual conference is little more than a talking shop for the union establishments and Brighton was no exception. Every year the assorted full-time officers get together for this annual jamboree to formulate policies that reflect the views of the senior full-timers and the lay officers that lead the factions that run our unions today. In the coming months motions which reflect the views of the bureaucrats will doubtless end up as material for mediocre TUC campaigns and lobbies  – those that genuinely reflect the demands of the street on pay, terms and conditions and social justice will be sidelined or ignored.
Though some motions challenged the bourgeois consensus the bureaucracy ensured that nothing was done to embarrass Sir Keir Starmer who turned up to tell delegates that what he called “Changed Labour” would need to make “tough choices” and provide no “special favours” to unions.
Conference as a whole did however take up the fight against racism calling on the movement to do all it can to mobilise on the streets against the far right and delegates unanimously
passed an emergency motion on the danger of a wider war in the Middle East and in support of a national day of action for Palestine on 10th October.
Though the days when the TUC was called the “general staff of labour” are long gone it still pompously calls itself the “voice of Britain at work”. In reality it is, of course, the ‘voice of the union bureaucracy at work’ so we shouldn’t be surprised when, at the end of the day, nothing is done...

No arms for Israel!

While the Zionists may talk about teaching Hezbollah a lesson with their pager bomb terror campaign the only thing they have actually taught the Lebanese resistance is to never again compromise their security with electronic equipment made in the American empire. Meanwhile Britain continues to aid and abet the Israeli war-criminals by supplying sophisticated arms to the Zionist state.
The Western powers, who routinely brand all resistance to imperialism as “terrorism”, say little about Israel’s current wave of terror in Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and rarely go beyond their hypocritical calls for restraint “on all sides” that are actually calls for a complete Arab surrender to Zionist demands. 
A few weeks ago the Starmer government suspended 30 out of the current 350 UK arms export licences to Israel. But this token gesture, given to try and stave off the mounting pressure to halt all British arms exports to Israel, is nowhere near enough. Or as CND’s Kate Hudson put it: “Israel is committing a genocide against Palestinians and is using both conventional and hybrid warfare to kill and injure people in Lebanon. The Middle East stands on the edge of a wider regional war and the British government is more than happy to cheer it on. This has to stop”.

A watershed in British politics

by John Maryon

Britain has been in economic decline since its empire started to collapse in the early 20th century.  During the Second World War the country amassed debts in excess of £21 billion and by 1947 this had risen to 238 per cent of GDP.  A lack of investment has since led to the collapse of British industry.  What had once been the workshop of the world saw factory after factory close, being unable to compete with the research, innovation and automation in Japan and West Germany as their advanced, top quality and affordable products became widely available.  Britain's position was made much worse when Margaret Thatcher sold off the family silver by disposing of valuable public assets.  Today our national debt has increased rapidly since the 2008 financial crisis and under the impact of COVID 19 to reach £2,725 billion equivalent to 106 per cent of GDP.
Britain faces a serious economic crisis following years of decline.  The situation has been made more acute by a, number of important factors. Firstly, capitalism in its ultimate form, State Monopoly Capitalism, has reached the end of the road being unable to deal with the irreconcilable contradictions that arise between the productive forces and obsolete production relations leading to boom and bust. Secondly, the sheer incompetence of successive British governments, like many of their Western counterparts, who continue to double down with failed policies such as increasing military spending which accelerate the collapse.  We can be sure of one thing.  Every effort will continue to be made to ensure that the full burden of the crisis is placed firmly upon the shoulders of ordinary working people. The familiar capitalist situation of the poor being forced into poverty while the rich are laughing all the way to their tax havens will, they hope, prevail. 
The time is long overdue for the working class to make ready for its historical task and prepare a counter attack with the aim of the overthrow of capitalism and it's replacement with socialism.  However we need to examine both our own strengths and weaknesses as well as those of the ruling class.  The capitalists have the money, the total backing of the mass media to brainwash the public and the full resources of the state apparatus. The workers, on the other hand, are many.  The urgent need now is to inspire and educate the masses so to equip them with the knowledge, confidence and desire to take part in the class struggle for a better life. 
Constant propaganda by the media, assisted willingly by the fake left, has sought to confuse and mislead working people into an acceptance that capitalism is the normal and natural democratic system and they can do nothing to make any radical changes. All the problems are blamed upon others. Vulnerable immigrants, People's China, lazy workers and of course Vladimir Putin are all in the frame. 
Central to developing an effective offensive is increased readership of the New Worker, particularly in its on-line format to reach the new younger generation.  This could be supported an updated Web page and possibly with a video website established on Rumble for rapid response to events. An extended range of leaflets and pamphlets are also needed. The NCP will develop its involvement in joint campaigns with other progressive groups but all of this requires a regular supply of money which we rely on our generous supporters to provide. 
The origins of the British labour movement can be traced back to the days of the Industrial Revolution. Trade unions were formed, trades councils were established and the cooperative movement grew rapidly. Its own political party, the Labour Party, was formed in 1900. Sadly the movement today is not a shadow of it's former self. Only 22 per cent of workers now belong to a union with membership falling from 13 million in 1979 to under 6.44 million today. Many co-ops have disappeared from the scene. A major weakness of the trade union movement is the apparent indifference of some right-wing leaderships, who would rather have a quiet life than fighting for their members interests. With on-line contact replacing traditional meetings in the Labour hall there is less opportunity for them to be openly challenged. As for the Labour Party its policies have become almost indistinguishable from that of the Tories with continued austerity and a commitment to supporting US imperialism in its many acts of aggression. 
However we cannot dismiss the labour movement which was set up to fight the same evils we face today. To do so would be to put the clock back 200 years.  It is important to continue to give workers our full support at grass-roots levels with publicity and encouragement as they fight for improved wages and conditions.  It is also vital to persuade more workers to join a union and in doing so strengthen the hand of progressives within their ranks.  In regard to the Labour Party just voting Labour to get rid of the unspeakable Tories is not enough.  It is only the start of a fightback to put strong pressure on the Labour Party, via your MP for action on a range of issues. Challenge them about more funds for the NHS, urge them to oppose the genocide in Palestine and fascism in Ukraine, insist that public services are restored, demand full public ownership of utilities and make sure they work for peace and oppose racism. We should expose the dubious process by which right-wing careerists, with little affinity to working class people, are parachuted in by head office at the expense of local nominations. 
New and additional ways to struggle must be found. If the working class were to become united there would be no way of stopping them. Many different small left-wing political parties and progressive organisations exist in Britain today. It is only natural that they may have different ideas, priorities and objectives but just imagine what they could achieve if they all pulled together.  A coalition based upon consensus would have a collective voice that could not be ignored.  In the past such attempts have failed because some of those involved have their own sectarian interests, others have had a hidden agenda to dominate and control while yet others of the fake left have sought to sabotage it's work.  The individual identities of all groups could be preserved.  In the case of the NCP it has a unique role of being part of the international communist movement.  For any new Left coalition to be successful it would require a wise and experienced leadership 
We have reached a watershed in British politics as extreme right-wing forces seek to capitalise on the unpopularity of both main political parties. A threat of fascism exists in Britain today as strong irrational feelings are stirred up that produce race hatred and fear.  Every nation will have it's own laws and requirements in relation to both immigration and emigration depending on social relations, economic status or resource availability. When a desperate mother staggers from a small boat holding a crying starving young child only a fascist would push her back to drown. We should give them a hug, dry their tears and let them know that they are safe at last. Suffer little children to come unto me. The tragedy is almost certainly caused as a direct result of some imperialist inspired war that has destroyed their country, their homes and all the friends they once knew. 
A new left movement has to emerge that is bold and principled, equipped with a strategy for positive change. Not to challenge the traditional labour movement but work to strengthen its effectiveness.  Capitalism has had its day and Social Democracy is a non starter. I believe that the NCP must grow and offer to play a vanguard role in terms of political direction.  In the final analysis our prime objective would be to make fundamental changes to society on the basis of Marxism Leninism.  Power must be won for the working people away from the bankers, major corporations and neo-cons so that we may all chose their own destiny. 

When the going gets tough…

 

...the TUC gets going – often out of the back door under a cover of the usual platitudes the full-time officers reserve for times like these. The furore over the pensioners’ winter fuel cuts in the House of Commons and at TUC conference in Brighton may have reflected the anger on the street at this blatant attack on one of the most vulnerable sections of society but it also showed the weakness of the labour movement, that was unable to halt or water down the demand of the Starmer government to means-test the pensioners’ allowance that some say could lead to over 4,000 excess deaths due to hyperthermia in the winter months. 
Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader who now heads the Independent bloc in Parliament says “cutting winter fuel allowance is not a tough choice. It's the wrong choice - and we will not be fooled by ministers’ attempts to feign regret over cruel decisions they don’t have to take”. But sadly some union leaders fool themselves into believing that Starmer can be swayed by fine words and back-room lobbying while others believe that the Starmer’s cruel necessity is a price worth paying for the very modest concessions on pay and union rights that the Government has made during its first hundred days. 
It’s long been clear that the only people this Labour government heeds are those they believe represent the dominant bloc within the British ruling class; the City of London and the American diplomats that Starmer apparently liaises with on an almost weekly basis.
Labour was founded by the trade unions to give the working class its own voice within Parliament but the Parliamentary Party leadership has been dominated by the middle class intelligentsia since the days of Ramsay McDonald. In Parliament, even in Corbyn’s day, the Labour benches were dominated by right-wing factions. In the past left social-democratic and Trotskyist factions were tolerated to provide a “left” cover for the Cold War politics of the post-war Labour governments. No longer needed following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the people’s democracies in eastern Europe they were purged much like the Corbynistas in recent years. 
Though the Labour Party is dominated by the class‑collaborating right wing in the parliamentary party the possibility of their defeat exists as long as Labour retains its organisational links with the trade unions that fund it. The defeat of the old right‑wing union factions in most of the major unions over the past ten years demonstrates this possibility.
A Labour government, with the yet unbroken links with the trade unions and the co‑operative movement, still offers the best option for the working class in the era of bourgeois parliamentary democracy. Our strategy is for working class unity and our campaigns are focused on defeating the right‑wing within the movement and strengthening the left and progressive forces within the Labour Party and the unions. Day‑to‑day demands for reform, progressive taxation, state welfare and a public sector dedicated to meet the people’s needs are winnable under capitalism, particularly in a rich country like Britain today.
We support these demands and back the demands of those within the Labour Party and the  unions who are campaigning for greater social justice. We support those in the Labour Party fighting for left policies. It is part of our struggle against austerity.
In July we saw the election of independents including Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader hounded out by Starmer and the Blairite gang. They have now formed an Independent bloc in Parliament. They are all supporters of the Palestinian cause and other anti-imperialist struggles across the globe. Hopefully, they will soon become a focus of resistance to austerity in parliament – and on the street.

Ahead of the game

by Ben Soton

Firebrand: Alicia Vikander; Junia Rees; Ruby Bentall; director Karim Aïnouz; 121 mins

Every schoolboy and schoolgirl can remember the rhyme, Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived. This film is the story of Henry VIII’s sixth wife, Catherine Parr; the one who survived. It makes a change for a film to feature a wife of Henry VIII who is not Anne Boleyn; recall Anne of a Thousand Days (1970) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008). The film features Alicia Vikander as Catherine Parr and Jude Law as Henry. Set during Henry’s final years, when Catherine Parr was as much his carer as his wife, a pivotal feature of the film is her relationship with the radical Protestant preacher Anne Askew. Throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Protestantism was a progressive force; it attacked various aspects of the old feudal order. During the Tudor era this included the Catholic Church based in Rome whilst it was also adopted by sections of the gentry as a means of establishing a more modern state and seizing Church land. Although Henry broke with Rome and made himself head of the Church in England he was still firmly committed to Catholic doctrine. Even though he may have ultimately encouraged the growth of Protestantism through some of his modernising advisors such as Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Cranmer. Throughout the film Catherine is at odds with Henry’s ultra-conservative Bishop of Winchester Stephen Gardiner (played by Simon Russell Beale) and tries to cover her links to Askew.

Jude Law’s portrayal of Henry paints him as a violent, semi-impotent tyrant who know his game is almost up. The unpleasant sex scenes would turn many off the carnal act; perhaps not the best film to see if you are on your first date. On a more serious note it also shows the subservient position of women, even those of a higher class in Tudor England.
The King is heavily under the influence of Gardiner, who hopes to return England back to Rome while the modernising Seymour brothers, uncles of Henry’s heir Edward, seek to keep England on a more reforming path. The plot revolves around Catherine’s ability to avoid Gardiner’s detection. Meanwhile Erin Doherty’s portrayal of Anne Askew shows the revolutionary potential of radical Protestantism. But it would not become a serious force for change for another century in the English Civil War.
Although an obviously low budget film and relatively short the film is able to capture much of the intrigue of Henry’s court. It’s rival personalities represent conflicting interests as well as a woman’s struggle for survival in an overwhelmingly patriarchal world. The film is essential viewing for anyone with an interest in Tudor history.

Interview with a fugitive Ukrainian soldier

This is an interview with a Ukrainian soldier, called here Alexander, who escaped from a training camp for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Poland and is currently living in hiding in Europe. The interview was conducted by a special correspondent for the New Worker, Vsevolod Razumny, a member of the Red Square-Molotov Club, a Ukrainian anti-fascist campaign group based in the Russian Federation.It contains shocking and horrific revelations about the treatment of Ukrainian conscripts and threats against their families, as well as claims that Poland is playing double game with its erstwhile ally Ukraine and recruiting agents in its armed forces on a large scale.

Please introduce yourself and tell us where you are now?

Alexander: My name is Alexander, I am 24 years old. I escaped from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as you know, and I am in a European country, but I can’t say where exactly.

Your previous interview with Sovranita Popolare is currently circulating on the Internet, in which you told the story of your escape from the Ukrainian army. You spoke of the forced, and in your view illegal, mobilisation in Ukraine. Do you think we will see more escapes like yours? Can your example encourage your compatriots to escape and seek political asylum abroad?

Yes, I think there are more guys who will follow my example.

 What is the name of the base where you served, and how many Ukrainian soldiers are there now?

We were told the base is called the 10th Tank Cavalry, near the small town of Świętoszów, but no one told us the actual name of the base. I don't know the exact number now, but from time to time 80-90 people come there for training. The training is carried out by NATO instructors, mainly Polish, but there are also Norwegians, and I understand that American military personnel also study there on an exchange basis.

In your first interview, you mentioned that Ukrainian conscripts are brought to Poland for training without stamps in their passports. Do you think this is because NATO and the Zelensky fear mass desertions of Ukrainian personnel and are prepared to declare such "escapees" illegals in order to capture and return them to Ukraine?

That’s right, there was no stamp, they just look at the passports and let them through. Firstly, this discourages possible desertions because people are afraid of becoming illegal aliens. They don't know where to run, what to do, or how to find safety. Second, if there is no record they can be immediately deported back to Ukraine and into the military. And by the way, when we crossed into Poland we didn’t go as military personnel in uniform, we were in ordinary tracksuits and they let us through just like that, without any stamp. So even the Polish border guards had no idea who we were or where we were going. 

Could this be evidence of the disdainful attitude of Europeans, in particular Poles, towards forcibly conscripted Ukrainians?

I think everyone knows how the Poles treat Ukrainians, whether you’re a soldier, a civilian or a conscript. They tell you to your face: you are fighting, you are killing the people we would have to kill ourselves anyway – that’s the only reason they are helping to train us, and they don’t bother to hide it. And they make jokes about us: we are beggars, we always need weapons, we always need more help, we can’t do anything without them.

 You have revealed numerous cases of human rights violations at conscript camps in Ukraine, including detention without process in basements, beatings, and threats. We were recently shocked by the story of a fitness trainer from Odessa, Sevastian Gogovich, who was forcibly mobilised by nationalists (fascists), tied to a pole and subjected to an act of sexual violence. Do you know of similar cases in Ukraine?

Yes, I’ve seen many similar stories, they are commonplace, but they don’t get into the media. The easiest place to find them is on TikTok. It’s a sad and tragic story. I don’t know why Ukraine allows such things to happen, but I personally know of cases from my acquaintances and people I met at the training camp. They are common.

It’s sad that this is happening, it’s just awful. How did they make you sign the necessary papers at the training camp? Were you personally beaten?

Not me personally. My story began when I ended up at the conscript camp. After issuing my call-up papers, they seized me at the border and confiscated my phone. After arriving at the camp I was kept in a basement for three days and refused to sign any documents – but they just signed everything for me! There were also people at the camp who couldn’t speak, read or write Ukrainian, who didn’t even have Ukrainian passports, and yet they were in the training camp. And they too had their documents signed for them.

Do the training camp employees forge the signatures of conscripts? 

Oh yes, with no any problem, at least in my case. I didn’t signed anything, but all the documents were signed for me showing that I had ‘volunteered’.

You spoke about the presence of Polish military personnel without insignia or even uniforms at the Polish training camp. Were they employees of the Polish special services?

Yes, I believe so. They didn't introduce themselves in any way, and they were in civilian clothes. 

You mentioned that in addition to the domestic political situation in Ukraine, they were interested in Ukrainian nationalist groups. What questions did they ask about the Ukrainian right-wing radicals?

Yes, they wanted to know all about Ukrainian ‘nationalists’. They started with how many are there, where are they, and what group are they with? Do you have any connections with battalions like the Kraken, Azov and so on. Those who had such connections were questioned for a long time. I have quite a few military friends who have been fighting from the first days of the war in Ukraine, so I was asked lots of questions, such as: did they go to the Maidan Square?* It occurred to me that they might be thinking of organising some kind of revolution in Ukraine using surrogate groups. I don’t think they cared about these groups themselves, but only about of using them for their own ends, I got the impression they were counting on that.

(* A reference to the Euromaidan protests in Kiev’s Maidan Square in 2013-14 leading to the NATO-backed coup and the start of the war in Ukraine. The original mass protests against rampant corruption were taken over by far-right Banderite, pro-Nazi groups like the Azov Brigade).

Do you think the Polish intelligence agencies are infiltrating the Ukrainian ‘nationalists’? Are they worried about Azov, for example, getting out of control and becoming inconvenient and dangerous for Poland and the collective West? Or was it about the Poles’ historical hatred for Ukraine and trying to find their weak points?

I don’t think the Poles are afraid of them, but I’m convinced that they want to use them for some kind of ‘revolution’, and they want their own people in each nationalist group. Plus, this is additional information about what is happening right now in Ukraine. As you can understand, what they tell you in the news media is not the whole story.

Do you think that Polish intelligence is trying to recruit Ukrainian conscripts on a large scale?

Yes – I believe all the conscripts sent to Poland are being ‘spoken to’ in this way. And I believe there are many in the Ukrainian army above us, higher in rank, who were trained there previously, and they too all went through this.

Did the Polish intelligence officers threaten or hint at physical violence against your relatives in Ukraine, using data they had from the forms you completed?

Oh yes, of course! They said openly that they have all your relatives’ details, names, phone numbers, addresses. They even have details of your relatives and friends who live abroad! I don’t know where they got them from, but they have them. So they can influence your mum and dad, for example, if they live in Poland. They can ruin their lives or even deport them back to Ukraine. These details are given to the conscripts without pity – in other words they are used to threaten them.

You said you reported the Polish recruitment efforts to your senior commanders. Why didn’t the Ukrainian officers being trained in Poland try to stop this recruitment?

Yes, they went through all this as well. But because they were higher in rank, in the first batch so to speak, they ended up staying in Poland. It was clear to me that they weren’t interested because they don’t want to lose their cushy positions. Or that they could already be working for the Poles, or simply be afraid of them.

Were there many attempts to escape from the Polish training camp?

When we first arrived, we were split into two groups: half was a repair company, and the other half were training to be tankers. After our first escape, we were forbidden to go into the city at weekends and couldn’t leave the camp area. When we tried to negotiate with the camp commander, he didn’t want to know and wouldn’t talk to anyone. One guy escaped before me, but I heard later that he was found and deported back to Ukraine. 

How do you see your future?

I’d like to settle in a country of my choice and forget all about this war. If I start a family, I want to make sure my children know nothing about war at all.

Thank you for the conversation, Alexander, and good luck in everything.

Thank you too, and all the best!