“No matter what the Ukrainian government is like, it does not negate our people’s right to exist…”
A photo of the anarchist Dmytro Kuper holding an FC Barcelona flag, taken while he is fighting on the frontline against the Russian invaders, recently appeared on a Ukrainian antifascist blog.
A Catalan antifascist project conducted a short interview with him specifically for the local audience. We decided to translate it into English and Russian, as it covers important topics for the international left wing audience
How did this photo happen? Do you like FC Barcelona? Is there anything else that connects you to Catalonia?
I saw the flag while visiting a friendly place and couldn’t resist taking a picture 🙂 The photo was taken in the city of Odesa, in the rear. I’ve supported Barcelona since 2004. I was 6 years old then, and someone bought me a Ronaldinho jersey, a Barcelona jersey haha. Since then I’ve supported only Barça: Visca Barca, Visca Catalunya!
I think our countries are connected in general by the fact that we are both under imperialist aggression. The only difference is that Ukraine has achieved independence (which we are fighting for even now), while Catalonia is still in the process of fighting for it. That’s why our peoples have a very similar story, and it’s important for us to support each other.
What did you do before the war, and why did you decide to go to the front?
I am an anarchist. Before the war I worked on developing the left movement in Ukraine. I was an activist of the “Black Flag” movement, fighting on the streets for working people. Our enemies were businessmen, officials, and right wing forces. As for the front, you can’t say that I decided—Russians decided to come to us with war. I didn’t decide anything: armed people came into my home, into my country. There was no choice, only to fight or to run, and I’m not used to running 🙂
Western anarchists and leftists often don’t understand the context of the war or why Ukrainian anarchists and antifascists are fighting. They say: “Why are they defending the state?” In the best case, they claim that “fascists are fighting on both sides.” How would you explain the situation to them? Can this be called popular resistance?
Would they say the same about the Second World War?? We must remember that Hitler was opposed by authoritarian, bourgeois, and even imperialist countries (for example, Ukraine is definitely bourgeois and can to some extent be considered authoritarian, but it is certainly not imperialist). Do we talk about WWII as if “there were fascists on both sides”?
If we talk about individual people or even political groups, such individuals may indeed be fighting for Ukraine (although I haven’t seen them), just as such people fight for Russia. The difference is that in Russia fascism is literally state policy by all definitions—something that cannot be said about Ukraine. It is also telling that almost all fascists abroad support Putin and Russia.
So the situation is obvious: imperialist, fascist aggression by Russia against Ukraine. Ukraine is waging not even a national liberation struggle, but literally a struggle for its survival, because Russia seeks to physically destroy us. Because of this, no matter what the Ukrainian government is like, this does not negate our people’s right to exist. Therefore, saying “what difference does it make” already calls into question the right of Ukrainians to exist…
Why is it important to support Ukrainian antifascists now?
Because Ukrainian antifascists are now holding back Russian fascists. If the latter succeed, they won’t stop—they will move further, and then there is every risk that people elsewhere will feel the fire of Russian fascism themselves. I truly hope that no one ever experiences this…
What would you like to say to the Catalan comrades who will read this as a farewell message?
Solidarity is our greatest weapon. Only this way can we destroy imperialist evil.
Slava Ukraini! Visca Catalunya!
