On the ideas of patriotism and anti-fascism

V.I. KASHIN, Sovetskaya Rossiya, May 18, 2026 —

An appeal from the All-Russian Headquarters of Protest Actions to communists, protest activists, and all the people of Russia

Comrades! Friends! Compatriots!

A profound crisis of international imperialism has gripped the countries and peoples of the world today. The planet is being rocked by the conflagrations of terrorist attacks and local wars of conquest, unleashed by international imperialism in its search for a way out of the crisis and the conquest of new labor markets and energy resources. The American military has invaded Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Afghanistan, launched devastating bombing and missile strikes on Belgrade and Iran, staged a coup in Venezuela, and is now threatening to subjugate the Cuban state.

Before our very eyes, a violent reorganization of the world is taking place. For many decades, the stability of this world was maintained by the balance of two political systems on the planet: socialism and capitalism. The former has always been centered on our homeland, uniting the progressive peoples of the Earth who chose the path of popular sovereignty and a socialist orientation. The betrayal of the “fifth column” in Russia in the 1990s upset the existing balance of power and allowed capitalism, by seizing power in the countries of the socialist bloc, to destroy our unity.

Under the current circumstances, fascism—the brown plague of the 20th century, stopped in Europe by the Soviet soldier in 1945—is attempting to reemerge. Today, its defining characteristic is a fierce hatred of Russia and the Russian people. Having forgotten the lessons of the past, falsifying the historical truth about World War II, destroying monuments and memorials to the liberating soldiers, the collective West, echoing and copying the ideology of Nazi Germany, has launched another crusade against Rus’. The new fascist youths of Europe—followers of Hitler and Bandera—are fanning the flames of a bloody fratricidal war in the occupied Russian lands of Novorossiya and Malorossiya. European fascism, meanwhile, is shelling our cities and villages with its bombs and missiles from the Ukrainian foothold.

To counter this global threat, the unity and consolidation of all progressive, common-sense forces in the world is essential. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation and its faction in the State Duma have issued a resolute condemnation of the aggressors and called on the international community to join forces in the fight against fascism. To counter the aggressive Russophobic policies of the West and the United States, which are leading the world toward a global catastrophe—a world war that is increasingly becoming overtly terrorist in nature—the CPRF is holding the 3rd International Anti-Fascist Forum, “The Fight Against International Terrorism, Arbitrariness, and Aggression. For Peace and Security,” in Moscow from May 23–26, 2026.

Representatives of more than 170 foreign parties, movements, and organizations, political and public figures, parliamentarians, academics, veterans, and representatives of left-wing patriotic, trade union, women’s, and youth organizations from nearly 100 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the CIS have been invited to participate in the forum. These include representatives of the ruling parties of China, Vietnam, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, Venezuela, Brazil, Nicaragua, Mexico, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Yemen, and Palestine, as well as a number of European anti-fascist organizations and international democratic organizations. Ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary of a number of foreign countries accredited to Russia have also been invited. An international conference of the same name will be held as part of the forum, which will examine and discuss practical issues of consolidating the planet’s progressive forces to broadly counter international terrorism.

Based on the extraordinary relevance of the topic and the momentous significance of our forum’s decisions for the entire world, the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the All-Russian Headquarters for Protest Actions consider it necessary and important that all communists and all the people of Russia participate directly and immediately in the anti-fascist rally. Based on the ideas of patriotism and anti-fascism, during the forum, through mass propaganda and outreach in the regions and at the local level, we will unite the country into a unified information space. To this end:

• On the opening day of the forum in Moscow, regional party committees will publish in the media announcing its opening and will make a statement strongly condemning fascist aggression and any attempts to falsify and distort the history of the Great Patriotic War and World War II, and to diminish the role of the peoples of the Soviet Union in the defeat of fascism in 1945;
• From May 23 to 26, each region will host campaign rallies and other anti-fascist events, including meetings between deputies and young people, rallies, round tables, and “Reds in the City” campaigns with the distribution of leaflets, party press, and other campaign and informational materials related to the forum.
• During the forum, in order to provide support and assistance, our activists will organize visits to veterans and families of Special Military Operations soldiers, hospitals, and rehabilitation centers for the wounded;
• During these same days, flower-laying ceremonies will be held at memorials and monuments erected in the regions in honor of the outstanding events and heroic deeds of fellow countrymen-soldiers and home front workers.

The center and spiritual force behind all events will be the front-line heroes of the Special Military Operation (through personal involvement and radio roll call) and their families, combat veterans, and volunteer activists who volunteer to perform work related to the rehabilitation and care of the wounded, provide assistance to the families of front-line soldiers, and manufacture and send warm clothing, camouflage nets, trench candles, potbelly stoves, and other equipment to the front. Today, it is they, the faithful sons and daughters of the Fatherland, who, through their selfless service to the Motherland, embody true patriotism. The ultimate goal of all events will be to address issues related to support for the Special Military Operation, patriotism, and a call for unity and readiness, both at the front and in the rear, to defend the Fatherland in the fight against fascism. In highlighting the achievements of the remarkable era of socialism and the role of the Soviet state as the center and leader of the international anti-fascist movement in the struggle for peace, it is important to emphasize the Communist Party’s leadership and guiding role in the country’s economic development, the victory over Hitler’s fascism and Japanese militarism, and to note the CPRF’s tireless struggle for the revival of our Fatherland today.

Particular attention will be paid to the content of the CPRF Victory Program, which the party is taking into the parliamentary elections, and the dedicated work of the CPRF and the Protest Action Headquarters to assemble and dispatch more than 150 humanitarian convoys to help the front in less than twelve years. It is crucial for the party that as many people as possible understand that the implementation of the CPRF Victory Program radically changes the state’s socioeconomic policy, setting in motion irreversible processes aimed at helping people, reviving the planned economy, and the country’s scientific and industrial potential. We value the opinions and proposals of every person, and the party is holding a People’s Referendum for this purpose, among other things.

Having brought the most important ideas and materials of the International Anti-Fascist Forum to the people and having received your support, together we will move on to practical work, gain the necessary attention from the government and regional authorities to address the problems of veterans and the families of Special Military Operation soldiers, stop fascism, and achieve a great victory. Having won the parliamentary elections, together we will be able to begin the full-scale implementation of the Victory Program, elevating it and the development budget to the status of the country’s new state socio-economic policy. We will be united during these days, as all materials related to the work of the Anti-Fascist Forum will be promptly posted in local media and on the central website of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.

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Academician V.I. KASHIN: Deputy Chairman of the Central Committee of CPRF, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Agrarian Issues, Chairman of the All-Russian Headquarters of Protest Actions