Ilya Klemeinov of the Communist Party of Russia: «Sanctions Affirm We Have Chosen the Right Path»

Original article: Ilya Klemeinov, Comunistas de Rusia: «Las sanciones confirman que hemos elegido el camino correcto»

In this interview, Ilya Klemeinov, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Russia, discusses the role of communists in the context of the Special Military Operation and Western sanctions, the party’s program and electoral results, the process of «resovietization» in Russian society, the involvement of activists as volunteers on the front lines, and the party’s stance on attacks against Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, and the genocide of the Palestinian people.

–What does it mean to be a communist in times of the Special Military Operation and Western attacks and sanctions?

-Communist parties around the world have always opposed the spread of fascism. Remember Germany, Spain, Chile. In the current reality, it is the duty of every communist to prevent fascism from succeeding and, as before, to strengthen internationalism. Sanctions are not the dungeons of Buchenwald nor the confinement in the Santiago stadium in ’73, but they do confirm the consequences of the chosen path.

–What were the main proposals of the Russian communists in the elections concerning the transformation of Russia into a socialist state, and what was the outcome of the support they received in the vote?

The central theme of the KPKR’s program, «For Victory! For Soviet Power!», revolves around the gradual transformations of society aimed at creating a state of social justice in the image of the Soviet Union. It would be unwise to ignore the experience of the USSR in this regard, as well as examples from socialist countries like China, Laos, Vietnam, the DPRK, and others. Serious and large-scale engagement with voters is crucial, and our candidates dedicate themselves to this during every election campaign. Expecting a quick outcome would be naive, but the combined result for Russian leftist parties in these elections—over 20% of voters—offers hope. The party’s main candidates achieved between 5% and 12% in their electoral districts, reflecting significant growth, but much work remains to be done to secure victory.

–We observe a certain «resovietization» in Russian society: the return of Stalin to the Moscow metro, increasingly active exaltation of the Soviet past by the country’s leadership, and a feeling of common struggle against the West. Why is this happening?

-This is not surprising. It is not exaltation, but rather the restoration of historical justice, which our party has been advocating for many years. The heroic efforts of the Soviet Union and its people defeated fascism. The current struggle against the collective forces of evil is not much different from those years. Today, the image and work of Stalin are not mere memories of the past, but guidelines for action: our Flag!

–We know that some members of the Communist Party of Russia have participated in the Special Military Operation as volunteers. What are the reasons for their participation? Is there a political motivation as well?

-The communists who volunteered stated that, above all, the Kiev regime is merely the worst manifestation of imperialist states. There is little need for a deep search to confirm this: the attacks against the technical school in Starobelsk, against civilians in Donetsk, and the regular assaults on e-commerce warehouses in Russia; all these are attacks exclusively against peaceful citizens. The only target of imperialists is to preserve their capital, and as we see, they are willing to do so by any inhumane means. There is no other argument or explanation for this collective evil policy of harming the peaceful population of Russia!

–How does the party assess, in the international context, the recent attacks against Cuba and Venezuela, the war against Iran, and the genocide of the Palestinian people?

-Our party has consistently opposed the blockade of Cuba and expresses solidarity with the people of Bolivarian Venezuela and all nations that pursue independent domestic and foreign policies. However, the kidnapping of President Maduro and his wife has crossed all boundaries of perceiving contemporary world order. In reality, all these attacks against sovereign states and their peoples are links in the same chain and in the same war, where freedom-loving peoples must prevail; there can be no other path to the future of humanity…

El Ciudadano