Borotba
Borotba is a Stalinist and revolutionary Marxist political organization founded in Ukraine in 2011.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Borotba, formally the Association “Struggle,” is a Ukrainian Stalinist political organization that emerged from the country’s fragmented Marxist and communist milieu. It was established in May 2011 by former members of the Stalinist wing of the Organization of Marxists, the Communist Party of Ukraine and its youth organization, the All-Ukrainian Union of Workers, the Youth Association Che Guevara, the Youth against Capitalism movement, and other left-wing activists. The organization took its name from Borotba, an oppositional political party that operated in Soviet Ukraine between 1920 and 1925 before merging with the Ukrainian Communist Party. The organization’s draft manifesto presents revolutionary Marxism as its ideological foundation and identifies the expansion of left-wing ideas in Ukrainian political discourse as a central objective. It also emphasizes anti-capitalism, internationalism, anti-fascism, political radicalism, and gender equality. Borotba described itself as part of Ukraine’s heterogeneous New Left, although its Stalinist orientation and its political conduct during the Maidan and ensuing conflict placed it at odds with many anarchist, socialist, and other left-wing organizations. Borotba’s founding congress brought together delegates from across Ukraine and included international guests from Sweden and Russia. During its early period, the organization cooperated with or received support from foreign left-wing networks, including Germany’s Die Linke and the Swedish Left Party’s VIF aid organization. It also maintained contacts with Russia’s Left Front, an opposition movement. Its best-known leader was Victor Shapinov, a Russian activist who had previously been involved with the Russian Communist Workers Party and moved to Ukraine in 2005. Serhei Kirichuk was another prominent founding figure and later lived in exile in Germany. Borotba opposed the Euromaidan protests from the beginning. It characterized the 2014 Revolution of Dignity as a Western-backed coup and argued that far-right nationalists had acquired excessive influence over state institutions. The organization called for a socialist revolution against the post-Maidan government, which it described in highly hostile terms. Some Borotba members participated in anti-Maidan mobilization in Kharkiv, including a March 2014 action in which anti-Maidan groups entered the regional administration building. Other Ukrainian left-wing groups accused Borotba activists of participating in violence against pro-Maidan demonstrators, including anarchists and writer Serhiy Zhadan; Borotba rejected or justified those accusations by identifying the building’s occupants with Right Sector. The organization also campaigned against the May 2014 presidential election, which it regarded as illegitimate and unrepresentative. In Kharkiv, activists claimed to have distributed 100,000 leaflets and 10,000 posters supporting an electoral boycott. Borotba held May Day and anti-election activities in Odesa and cooperated with other anti-Maidan parties and movements. Aleksey Albu, a regional leader in Odesa, later moved to Russian-annexed Crimea, where he helped establish the Committee for the Liberation of Odesa with representatives of Russian nationalist and far-right organizations. Borotba became the subject of sustained criticism from Ukrainian left and anarchist groups, which accused it of cooperating with conservative, nationalist, and pro-Russian forces and of manipulating information. The organization denied these charges and argued that its critics were hypocritical, while emphasizing that it had also criticized the Russian authorities and supported left-wing Russian groups facing repression. Following the controversy, Die Linke’s regional coordination office distanced itself from Borotba and cancelled events involving Kirichuk in Germany. In 2016, leaked correspondence attributed to the office of Vladislav Surkov, a senior Russian presidential aide, included Borotba figures on a list of Ukrainian media and political personalities allegedly considered useful for amplifying Russian messaging. The material intensified allegations that the organization had links to Kremlin political networks, although the available reference material does not establish the organization’s current legal status, membership, or operational activity. Borotba is therefore best understood as a historically significant but politically controversial Ukrainian radical-left organization rather than a conventional consumer or commercial brand.
History
Borotba was founded in May 2011 amid the fragmentation of Ukraine’s communist and broader radical-left scene. Its founders included members of the Stalinist wing of the Organization of Marxists, the Communist Party of Ukraine and its youth wing, the All-Ukrainian Union of Workers, the Youth Association Che Guevara, Youth against Capitalism, and independent activists. The founding congress attracted delegates from multiple parts of Ukraine as well as guests from Sweden and Russia. The organization adopted the name of Borotba, a left-oppositional party in Soviet Ukraine that existed from 1920 to 1925 and merged with the Ukrainian Communist Party in 1920. This historical reference reflected the group’s attempt to connect contemporary revolutionary politics with earlier Ukrainian communist traditions. Its draft manifesto emphasized revolutionary Marxism, anti-capitalism, internationalism, anti-fascism, political radicalism, and gender equality. Borotba described its mission as bringing Marxist analysis into Ukrainian political debate. Victor Shapinov became the organization’s best-known leader. A Russian activist and former participant in the Russian Communist Workers Party, he had moved to Ukraine in 2005. Serhei Kirichuk was another prominent founding figure. During its initial period, Borotba developed contacts with international left-wing actors, including Germany’s Die Linke, the Swedish Left Party’s VIF aid organization, and Russia’s Left Front. These relationships later became politically contentious. Borotba rejected the Euromaidan protests that began in late 2013. It argued that the movement was dominated by nationalism and the far right and that the political transition that followed the Revolution of Dignity represented a Western-backed coup. The group called for a socialist revolution and claimed that nationalist forces had gained disproportionate control over major ministries and state institutions. Some activists attempted to recruit protesters to labor-oriented organizing in Kyiv, but Borotba’s broader anti-Maidan stance defined its public identity. In March 2014, Borotba members took part in anti-Maidan activity in Kharkiv. On March 15, Borotba, the People’s Unity movement, and other groups called a public meeting and joined an effort to storm the regional administration building, which was occupied by pro-Maidan activists. Ukrainian left-wing organizations accused Borotba members of helping assault pro-Maidan participants, including anarchists and writer Serhiy Zhadan. Borotba defended the action by portraying the building’s occupants as members of Right Sector. On April 15, police raided the organization’s Kharkiv office and reportedly found 20 Molotov cocktails. The group subsequently focused on opposition to the May 2014 presidential election. Borotba activists in Kharkiv claimed to have printed 100,000 leaflets and 10,000 posters calling for an electoral boycott. The organization also participated in a May Day rally in Odesa and joined the Communist Party of Ukraine, the Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine, and other anti-Maidan movements in demonstrations against the election. Aleksey Albu, who led Borotba’s Odesa regional organization, fled to Russian-annexed Crimea and helped establish the Committee for the Liberation of Odesa on May 24, 2014, together with representatives of Russian nationalist and far-right groups. The organization faced criticism from the Autonomous Workers’ Union, Direct Action, Left Opposition, and other Ukrainian left and anarchist organizations. These groups accused Borotba of cooperating with conservative, nationalist, and pro-Russian forces and of disseminating false or manipulated claims. Borotba rejected the criticism as hypocritical and irrelevant, while pointing to its stated opposition to the Russian authorities and its solidarity with repressed Russian leftists. The controversy affected Borotba’s foreign relationships. Die Linke’s regional coordination office in Germany distanced itself from the group and cancelled events involving Kirichuk in Hamburg and Kiel in July 2014. A related book presentation was also cancelled because of the author’s connections to Russian extremist nationalist organizations. Kirichuk responded to the allegations in an interview with Die Linke politician Andrej Hunko, particularly regarding Borotba’s support for separatist forces in southern and eastern Ukraine. In October 2016, Cyber Hunta released material it described as emails and other files from the office of Vladislav Surkov, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin. One document, attributed to political scientist and Surkov adviser Aleksei Chesnakov, listed three Borotba members among Ukrainian media or political figures whom Russian actors could allegedly rely on to amplify propaganda. The disclosure deepened accusations that Borotba was connected to Kremlin influence networks. The available reference material does not establish the organization’s subsequent legal status, leadership, membership, or level of activity, so its present condition remains uncertain.
- 2016
Alleged inclusion in leaked Russian political correspondence
[1]Leaked material attributed to the office of Vladislav Surkov allegedly identified Borotba figures as useful amplifiers of Russian messaging in Ukraine.
- 2014
Kharkiv anti-Maidan mobilization
[1]Members participated in anti-Maidan activity in Kharkiv, including an action involving the regional administration building.
- 2014
Presidential-election boycott campaign
[1]Borotba distributed leaflets and posters urging voters to boycott Ukraine’s May presidential election.
- 2013
Opposition to Euromaidan
[1]Borotba adopted a strong anti-Euromaidan position and criticized the movement as nationalist and far-right dominated.
- 2011
Organization founded
[1]Borotba was established in May by former members of Ukrainian Marxist, communist, labor, and youth organizations.
Products and positioning
A Stalinist, revolutionary Marxist organization presenting itself as an anti-capitalist, internationalist, anti-fascist, politically radical, and gender-equality-oriented force in Ukraine.
Controversies
2016
Alleged Kremlin-linked propaganda role
Leaked correspondence attributed to a Russian presidential aide allegedly included Borotba members among Ukrainian figures considered useful for disseminating Russian propaganda. The material intensified, but does not by itself conclusively prove, allegations of operational Kremlin control.
2014
Accusations of violence during Kharkiv unrest
Ukrainian left and anarchist organizations accused Borotba activists of participating in assaults on pro-Maidan demonstrators during unrest in Kharkiv. Borotba disputed the criticism and portrayed the targets as far-right activists.
2014
Raid on Kharkiv office
Police raided Borotba’s Kharkiv office and reportedly seized 20 Molotov cocktails. The reference does not provide a final judicial determination concerning the items or the organization.
2014
Criticism over cooperation with nationalist and pro-Russian groups
Several Ukrainian left-wing organizations accused Borotba of cooperating with conservative, nationalist, and pro-Russian forces and of spreading misinformation. Borotba rejected the accusations.
Marketing campaigns
- 2014Presidential-election boycott campaign
Ukraine · Kharkiv · Odesa
Borotba opposed the May 2014 Ukrainian presidential election and promoted a boycott through public demonstrations and printed materials. In Kharkiv, activists claimed to have produced 100,000 leaflets and 10,000 posters.
Outcome. The campaign expressed the organization’s rejection of the post-Maidan political order; its broader electoral impact is not established in the available material.
- 2014May Day and anti-Maidan mobilization
Odesa · Ukraine
Borotba members organized a May Day rally in Odesa and later joined other anti-Maidan parties and movements in demonstrations opposing the presidential election.
Outcome. The activity reinforced Borotba’s alignment with the anti-Maidan camp during the 2014 political crisis.
Brand decisions
2014
Campaign against the presidential electionStrategyBackground
Borotba regarded the May 2014 presidential election as illegitimate, unrepresentative, and shaped by radical right-wing forces.
Action taken
It organized demonstrations and distributed printed materials calling for voters to boycott the election.
Aftermath
The campaign consolidated the organization’s anti-Maidan identity, while its measurable political effect is not documented in the available sources.
2013
Reject Euromaidan and adopt an anti-Maidan strategyStrategyBackground
Borotba viewed the Euromaidan movement as dominated by nationalism and the far right and opposed the political transition that followed.
Action taken
The organization condemned the movement, called the post-Maidan transition a Western-backed coup, and advocated a socialist revolution.
Aftermath
This position led Borotba into cooperation with anti-Maidan actors and brought it into conflict with other Ukrainian left-wing organizations.
Recent events
- 2014
Police raided Borotba's Kharkiv office[1]
Other
Police searched the organization’s Kharkiv office on April 15 and reportedly seized 20 Molotov cocktails found on the premises.
- 2014
Borotba campaigned for a boycott of Ukraine's presidential election[1]
Campaign
The organization distributed campaign materials urging voters to boycott the May presidential election, which it considered illegitimate and dominated by radical right-wing forces.
- 2013
Borotba opposed the Euromaidan movement[1]
Other
The organization rejected the Euromaidan movement and sought to frame the political crisis through an anti-capitalist and anti-fascist revolutionary program.
- 2011
Borotba established as a Ukrainian Marxist organization[1]
Other
The organization was founded in May by activists from several Ukrainian communist, Marxist, labor, and youth groups.
Sources1 sources
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