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] communist organization.

Union of Communists of Ukraine
Союз комуністів України
FoundedDecember 1992
NewspaperMarksizm i sovremennost
IdeologyCommunism
Marxism–Leninism[1]
Anti-revisionism
International affiliationIMCWP
European Parliament groupINITIATIVE
Verkhovna Rada
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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.[2]

History

The founding conference of the Union of Communists was held in December 1992, and it was registered with Ukrainian authorities in March 1993.[3][4] At the time of organization on 12 March 1993 it claimed to have 2,000 members in 13 oblasts.[3][4] Yurii Solomati was registered as the leader of the organization.[4] The main stronghold of the party has been Luhansk.[4] Initially many party members were also affiliated to the Communist Party of Ukraine (KPU), although the KPU soon began purge dissident elements.[4][5] Whilst the influence of the Union of Communists waned, it acted as a competitor of KPU in south-eastern Ukraine at an early stage.[5]

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.[6] Considering itself as the legitimate heir of the CPSU, the Union of Communists demanded return of CPSU property seized by the Ukrainian state.[5] The organization called for the reconstruction of the Soviet Union.[5]

The Union of Communists began publishing the theoretical journal Marksizm i sovremennost' (Марксизм и современность, 'Marxism and Modernity') from Kyiv in 1995.[7] Politically it is close to the Russian Communist Workers Party, with many people (including Yabrova) holding dual memberships.[5]

As of the early 2000s, the group was led by Tamila Yabrova.[5]

In 2013 the party took part in the founding of the Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties.[8]

In May 2015 laws that ban communist symbols came into effect in Ukraine.[2] Despite that, the Union of Communists of Ukraine remained active.

References
  1. "12 IMCWP, Intervention by Union of Communists of Ukraine [Ru.]". Archived from the original on 3 July 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  2. "Ukraine bans Soviet symbols and criminalises sympathy for communism". The Guardian. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  3. "Союз коммунистов Украины: 20 лет спустя - Институт социализма". Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  4. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. 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.
  6. Справочник: Общественно-политические движения и партии в России (2 ed.). Информационно-справочная служба. 1993. p. 13.
  7. В. Тюлькин (2002). Не дрогнуть на избранном пути. БФРГЦ "Слово". p. 473. ISBN 978-5-86639-029-8.
  8. "Initiative of Communist & Workers' Parties - Home".
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