Final draft under the responsibility of Partido Obrero (Argentina), Tendenza Internazionalista Rivoluzionaria (Italy), Polo Obrero (Argentina) and S.I. COBAS (Italy), based on debates and amendments exchanged with other internationalist organizations. The debate of the text was finished on October 4th.

The war in Ukraine is about to reach its 500th day and there are no immediate perspectives for a cease-fire. The amount of dead and wounded is over half a million. It is one of the bloodiest conflicts since World War II.

And the perspective is that it will increase. The recent NATO Conference held in Vilna adopted drastic measures to take the warpath against Russia to the maximum and in the perspective of a direct conflict with China. The militaristic Conference was attended by countries from Asia (Japan, Korea, etc.) and Australia, committing to not only send weapons to Ukraine to continue the bloodbath of war, but for a military escalation on China.

All of this confirms that Ukraine is not the scene of a military intervention in defense of democracy and the self-determination of nations. The Zelensky government acts as a pawn of NATO. The Ukrainian people are used as cannon fodder for the interests of western imperialism.

On the other side of the trenches, Russia’s military invasion bears no relation to the struggle of peoples against imperialism. Putin is the head of a government of capitalist oligarchs that pretends to extend their dominion not only on the working masses of Russia, but also on those of their neighbors. Russia, as a military power, acts not only as a state that oppresses the Russian people, but those of numerous peoples, especially the ones surrounding it, as seen in the war against Chechenia and the collaboration of Putin’s army in the proletarian and popular rebellion in Kazakhstan. The growing Russian economic, political and military presence in Africa and the Middle East shows that the Russian bourgeoisie is not only interested in assuring their borders and recovering the space that once belong to the USSR, but it is an “actor” in the world market in every sense.

The war’s development has made it clear that the main enemies of the Ukrainian and Russian workers are in their own countries.

It is an imperialist war on both sides. The workers and soldiers of Ukraine and Russia are victims of an imperialist bloodbath, carried out in the interest of plunder by both sides in the conflict.

The war between NATO and Russia threatens to extend itself unstoppably, transforming into an atomic war and an open world war. The sabotages and aerial strikes organized by the west have already taken the war into Russian soil. The rearguard of pro-NATO forces in countries like Poland and Russian forces in Byelorussia show the path for the war to incorporate more countries into it at a moment’s notice. The tendency to war has profound reasons. It is a direct product of the structural crisis of capitalism that leads to increasing inter-imperialist rivalries, to stronger disputes among capitalist corporations, to clashes and conflicts, including military ones, between states. From the “coupling” of China and US in the first fifteen years of the twenty-first century we have passed, in 2018, to a commercial war between them, a process of relocating the supply chains and a strong military escalation– due to a shift in the balance of power between old and new capitalist powers. Military tensions in Africa, that have the same international clashes as a backdrop, show the responsibility of the great capitalist powers behind the global militaristic upsurge.

The growing economic crises are evidence of the exhaustion of the capitalist system and are leading to a new global recession, which is a fundamental factor that pushes towards war, because each capitalist entity (corporations, states) tries to unload the crisis on their rivals and especially on the working masses. According to a recent report from the Credit Suisse Bank, economic and social polarization is growing rapidly. 1.2% of the millions that inhabit the world hold 48% of the global riches, while 2,800 million only hold 1.1% of the riches, condemning hundreds of thousands to misery and starvation.

Imperialist governments vote war budgets with strong increases for military spending, while they cut back on social expenses and promote serious austerity plans. Inflation eats away at wages. Governments are carrying out an offensive on pensions, to end them and replace them with a system of poverty welfare, disavowing worker’s rights. Public service rates rise, public education and health are privatized.

This leads- and will lead more and more- to the resistance of the exploited masses against the attacks of the bourgeoisie and their governments, in defense of their living conditions, against capitalist barbarism. Workers’ strikes and mass uprisings are the scenario that is unfolding.

Up until now, there have not been mass movements against the imperialist war. The contrast is clear if we compare to international demonstrations in the past against the war in Iraq and other actions against the NATO and G7 summits. The reason is that most of the left is aligned behind one reactionary side or the other, while the working class suffers the blows of capitalist attacks because of the lack of a revolutionary leadership.

For the moment, the protests have been limited to isolated actions. Port works in the US, Italy and other places have refused to ship weapons that were going to be used against their working class brothers in other countries. We also defend the right to mobilize against the war in Ukraine and Russia, which has been brutally persecuted by the governments in Kiev and Moscow.

We call to make a 180 degree turn and promote a great international mobilization. The starting point is the defense of a policy that is independent from both sides.

An assembly of working class political and union organizations in Italy has called -in the context of a national plan of action- a demonstration on the military base at Ghedi, in the region of Brescia, to unite the demands against Italian imperialism to those against NATO that will also be held at the base of that Alliance in Tuscany and Sicily on Saturday, October 21st.Under the slogan “The main enemy is in our country”, these working class and leftist organizations will march in the first place against their own imperialist bourgeoisie.

We consider that day, and in particular the march on Ghedi, as a first step towards an international mobilization against the war in Ukraine and all capitalist wars in preparation. Let us get to work to create an international coordination of all forces who share our proletarian and internationalist opposition to war and establish a United Front against the war and capitalist austerity against the masses. Let us work together right now to organize a first international day of mobilization against imperialist war.

Down with war budgets and military rearmament. Down with western sanctions on Russia which starve the people. Free anti-war political prisoners in Russia and Ukraine. For full political and union freedom in Ukraine and Russia. Down with anticommunist laws and persecutions.

Increase social spending (education, health, housing) for working masses. Recover workers’ pension systems. Automatic wage increases to compensate for capitalist price hikes. Stop precarious labor, defend labor rights and collective bargaining.

War against war! Down with imperialist war! Dissolution of NATO, withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. Down with the governments responsible for war on both sides. For the international unity of the working class. Fraternization between Ukrainian and Russian workers and soldiers to end this reactionary war and impose true peace, that will only be achieved by worker’s governments.

Workers of the world: Unite!