.As we write, the war unleashed by Russia against the Ukrainian people is seeing a new dramatic escalation with the systematic bombing – even during the day – of major cities, particularly Kyiv.
The shortage of weapons for an effective air defence and the new Russian drones leave the cities virtually defenceless against the daily attacks on infrastructure and residential neighbourhoods. The number of Ukrainian civilians killed is rising steadily and appears to be the result of a truly desperate reprisal in the face of the Russian army’s enormous losses on the front line and the serious difficulties of the ‘special military operation’, which has now been bogged down since 2023.
The approaching winter risks being extremely harsh once again for the civilian population, for workers, for the tens of thousands of refugees and for an entire country severely tried by a war that has now lasted longer than the First World War.
Thus, whilst a just peace that would at least freeze the front line and provide guarantees for the future seems increasingly distant, solidarity with the Ukrainian people is waning.
At the same time the far right is on the rise everywhere, closer to the Kremlin’s agenda than to that of the people, and fuelled by a particular form of pacifism – one that is selfish, imperial and devoid of justice.
Against this backdrop, a few months ago a proposal emerged to organise an international convoy of solidarity with the Ukrainian people and, in particular, with its working class, which has, unfortunately, been forced to pay a very high price for the war.
The occasion was the first international anti-fascist conference held in Porto Alegre last April; despite the predominance of a ‘camp-based’ narrative that reaffirmed the exclusive criticism of a single form of imperialism, it enabled a range of organisations and comrades to take part in a workshop organised by the European Network of Solidarity with Ukraine, with Vasyl Andreyen, a trade unionist from the FPU in Kyiv. The meeting, held on the fringes of the conference and not included in the joint programme, focused on the plight of Ukrainian workers – both men and women – after four years of war.
Furthermore, it proved to be an opportunity to relaunch the building of a European and international network in support of the Ukrainian people. Recognising an unacceptable, widespread indifference on the part of most organisations on the political and social left regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the dire conditions of the working class, the idea arose to organise an international convoy.The project would bring together organisations already active in this field, with the aim of involving the trade union movement as widely as possible, particularly at European level. The aim is to put into practice the oldest of the values of the workers’ movement – internationalism – which has, unfortunately, fallen victim to so-called geopolitics, a concept detached from the rights of peoples and fundamentally reactionary.
Some of the Italian comrades preparing to take part in the international convoy have gained extensive experience in humanitarian travel over these nearly five years of war, building a network of contacts in practically every major city across the vast country of Ukraine. Over the years, solidarity has gradually waned, mirroring the decline in mainstream media attention. Nevertheless, a number of individuals and organisations have forged links with one another often collaborating on the donation of humanitarian aid – ranging from medical equipment such as tourniquets (for major injuries) to the donation of vehicles and ambulances, both to organisations and directly to soldiers on the front line. In this way, they have come to know a country torn apart, suffering, often visibly battered but never defeated, with the sad realisation that it has no alternative but to resist until a just peace is achieved.
Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia are the main cities they have travelled through over these years, and in which important relationships have been forged with various political and social actors, with a diverse range of associations and NGOs, but also with parishes deeply committed to providing humanitarian aid and welcoming refugees.
The Italian delegation of the convoy, built around the significant experience of the ‘Laboratorio Internazionalista’ and consisting mainly of comrades – male and female social activists with different or no political affiliations – is setting off on the southern route, one of the three routes that will converge on Lviv from various parts of Europeis therefore expected to be large and will be preceded by a series of initiatives across the whole country to raise the funds needed to purchase and deliver humanitarian aid.
In various cities, from south to north, donations of medicines, blankets, food, winter clothing and medical equipment are being collected.The departure from Italy will feature several ‘stops’, namely public events in a number of major cities that will mark, both politically and socially, the journey of the Italian delegation on its way to Ukraine.
It will begin in Lecce on 20 November, in the deep south of Italy, with a press conference shortly before the departure of its van.
On 21 November, Bari will join the convoy with another van loaded with aid; as the regional capital, the city will host a public event supported by a large turnout from the Ukrainian community.
On 22 November, it will be Milan’s turn to host the convoy’s third Italian stop, before joining the convoy with at least two vehicles.
The following day, the entire Italian delegation will set off for Munich to take part in a public event in the city. On 24 November, the southern route will reach Prague before continuing on to Kraków, Zamość, L’viv (Leopoli), Kyiv and finally Kharkiv.
