5 September 2026
Bogdan Syrotiuk, militant of the International Committee for the Fourth International (ICFI) and leader of the Young Guard of Bolshevik-Leninists (YGBL) in Ukraine, was sentenced to 15 years in prison last month on treason charges. He has already spent two years in jail, suffering from poor conditions and deteriorating health. His “crime”? Publishing articles—in which he accurately described the war in Ukraine as incited by Western imperialism, condemned both sides, and called for the working class of Ukraine and Russia to stand together in opposition to the war. In other words, working-class internationalism: the basic duty of any communist in an inter-imperialist war.
We do not agree with every aspect of Syrotiuk’s or the ICFI’s politics. But the courage he has shown in the face of ongoing state persecution is undeniable—as is the need for the left and the working class to stand in his defense. His fate is meant as an example to any Ukrainian leftist who dares to stand by their principles and oppose the war and the government. Faced with mounting opposition to forced conscription at home, a grueling stalemate and a spiraling death toll on the field, the Zelensky regime has responded with an escalating suspension of democratic rights—up to and including the right to vote, as Zelensky continues to reject calls for new elections during wartime. Opposing Syrotiuk’s conviction is not merely a matter of solidarity between communists, though that alone would be enough: it is a defense of the right to political dissent in Ukraine.
As his legal defense has pointed out, the state’s case against Syrotiuk is based on blatant lies, including that his articles were propaganda for Russia’s invasion. It seems likely he committed no crime under Ukrainian martial law. But Syrotiuk’s real crime in the eyes of the state was calling for internationalist working-class opposition to the war. The IBT supports the legal appeal against his conviction and the petition calling for his release. But legal arguments are unlikely to move Ukraine’s security apparatus, which understands all too well the war effort depends on the suppression of all opposition. The workers’ movement and the left internationally should demonstrate against Syrotiuk’s conviction. Like other Ukrainian dissidents, Syrotiuk’s fate will be tied to the development of working-class and popular struggle within Ukraine and across the world.
Sign the ICFI’s petition: Petition to help free Bogdan!
Related articles
For Workers’ Action against War in Ukraine! (1917 No.48)
Ukraine and the Left (1917 No.45)