Moscow Transforms Occupied Territories into Anti-Western Coalitions

Kseniya Kirillova on how Kremlin-controlled statelets in Ukrainian occupied territory are creating an international ‘anti-globalism’ alliance.

At the end of April in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, seized by pro-Russian separatists, there was a so-called “international congress of anti-globalists.”  This was reported by the Russian language service of the Russian television channel RT (categorized in the USA in November 2017 as a foreign agent) and did not appear in the English-language version of the site.

At present Donetsk is the capital of the so-called DNR (Donetsk Peoples Republic), an unrecognized formulation headed by a Government controlled by Moscow. The Ukrainian authorities consider the DNR and the similar quasi-republic LNR (Luhansk Peoples Republic) to be terrorist organizations and the territories controlled by them temporarily occupied.  The leaders of these territories are under Western sanctions.

The DNR was the formal organizer of the meeting of “anti-globalists” and separatists from across the world. The authors of the RT article admit that preparations for the congress were carried out in a “semi-secret atmosphere” – supposedly due to obstacles that Ukraine might initiate “through her American and European Union allies.”

It was expected that the event would be attended by “representatives of the Irish Party which continues to support the policies of the IRA, as well as California separatists.”  However, due to the coronavirus pandemic forcing the closure of borders, the organizers decided to conduct the conference on-line, stressing that Donetsk remained the organizer of the dialogue.

As RT reported, in the first on-line meeting “representatives of a minimum of six anti-globalist organizations participated, including the United National Anti-war Coalition (UNAC) – an American movement opposing the militarist policies and interference in the Near East, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.” Additionally, according to the authors, other participants included representatives from African countries, Finland, Catalonia, and Puerto Rico.

It’s expected that, following the conference, participants will prepare a “common strategy dealing with the challenges presented by globalization.” The authors do not hide the fact that the primary goal of the selection of the site for the congress was to legitimize the status of the unrecognized DNR.  The article proclaims that Donetsk “is turning into the capital of world anti-globalism,” and  when the pandemic is over, “the DNR will organize offline meetings with ideological allies from around the world.“

As for the participants in the on-line meeting, UNAC has long been known to be pro-Russian.  In 2017 the organization produced a harsh declaration against attempts to blame Russia for interfering in the US presidential election. Besides rejecting Russian interference in American politics, the authors of the declaration tried to prove that “the Crimea is a historical Russian possession” and claimed that the only sources of aggression were Ukraine and the United States.

UNAC also was an active participant in anti-NATO rallies and demonstrations.  According to the organization’s website, one of the goals of its activities is the removal of sanctions. In an open letter sent to President Donald Trump and Secretary General of the UN Antonio Guterres, the members of UNAC also support Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, Syria, and Zimbabwe and insist that sanctions are “crimes against humanity.”

At the end of April, UNAC activists published on their website a new article in which they claim that the economic sanctions imposed by the United States amount to “big heist” and are a form of genocide characteristic of “fascist dictatorships.”  Included in the list of “victims of genocide” are Russia, Syria, Somalia, China, Iran, North Korea and others. It is significant that a separate item in the list allocated Crimea as the “Crimea region of Ukraine.” Thus, even pro-Russian separatists do not recognize the “Russian” affiliation of Crimea.

As for the “California separatists,” also mentioned in the RT article, their leader, Luis Marinelli, has long been known for his contacts with Moscow.  In particular, he has never hidden the fact that he wants to enlist the help of Russia to separate California according to the Crimean script, considers Russia to be his “second home” and  “can no longer live under the American flag.” As a result, when his efforts to separate California from the USA fell through, Marinelli moved his permanent residence to the capital of the Urals, Yekaterinburg.

These organizations are marginal in nature and are unlikely to cause significant harm to their countries, except for general destabilization. Nevertheless, it is obvious that Russia once again patronizes anti-Western and separatist organizations to demonstrate with their help “international recognition” of the territories she occupies.