Ukrainian anti-fascists defy attack by neo-Nazis

Anti-fascists in Kyiv yesterday marked the anniversary of the assassination of two Russian activists – and faced intimidation by a neo-Nazi gang as the police stood by.

Russian and Ukrainian activists take to the streets every year to commemorate journalist Anastasia Baburova and lawyer Stanislav Markelov, who were shot dead by fascists in broad daylight on 19 January 2009 in central Moscow.

In previous years, demonstrators in Russia have been harassed by police, while those in Kyiv have had relatively few problems. But not this time. Fascist groups

Anti-fascist demonstrators in Kyiv yesterday. Photo from the 19 January committee

in Kyiv issued threats against the demonstration in advance, and the police told organisers they could not guarantee their safety.

“Today’s demonstration by the [Kyiv] 19 January committee did not go ahead in the planned format”, the organisers said in a statement issued afterwards. “About

Eastern Ukraine: labour and community organising near the front line

Workplace and community organising continues in eastern Ukraine, a few kilometres from the front line. PAVEL LISYANSKY of the Eastern Human Rights Group sent this report

A meeting was held today [25 December] of representatives of workplace collectives in Svetlodarsk, 4 kilometres from the front line [near Debaltsevo in Donetsk region]. The attendees were mostly public sector workers (doctors, teachers, municipal services employees), small business people, some employees of the Uglegorodskaya power station and pensioners. […]

On the agenda for discussion were the large number of breaches of human rights in the so-called “grey zone”, i.e. in Svetlodarsk. Originally the event had been