For more than 20 years at the head of the Russian Federation, Putin is waging a real war against the people of Russia, whose economic and social situation continues to worsen. To try to hide the situation, in addition to the development of hoax and propaganda campaigns, the regime silences by all means all those who dare to speak out loud and fight for more freedom and justice. Trade unionists, anarchists, and more generally human rights defenders are particularly targeted … The war unleashed following the invasion of Ukrainian territory has increased the brutality of the repression by the Russian state, which now no longer even does pretending to respect its own legality.

Kirill Ukraintsev is a simple precarious worker, a delivery worker, who toghether with other colleagues get the nerve to say “niet” to his boss-oligarch and to create in 2020 a union named “Courier” to have their dignity respected. Since 2020, they have carried out numerous strikes, demanding the payment of stolen wages, the removal of unfair fines and an end to the increase in charges on workers. He also claims to obtain real employment contracts for delivery people.

Last April, the boss of Delivery Club unilaterally decided to reduce the salaries of couriers by 20%, while Russia is experiencing a sharp rise in inflation! In response to this scandalous measure, the delivery workers started a strike movement. On April 25, while the “Courier” trade union was organizing a rally in front of the company, the police raided the home of Kirill Ukraintsev, as secretary of the trade union. He was then remanded in custody and charged under Article 212.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, for offense of calling for or participating in unauthorized gatherings. He is accused of calling on delivery workers and taxi drivers on social media to protest against labor rights violations. Now, he faces up to 5 years in prison for « repeated violation of the procedure for organizing gatherings ».

His trial, originally scheduled for June 25, was postponed until the fall. But on October 17, his trial was again postponed, this time to April 7, 2023. During all this time, Kirill remains imprisoned and this in total disregard of Russian law which indicates that the duration of preventive detention must not exceed 6 months. ! The judge ignored the lawyers’ request to refer the case to the prosecutor’s office and, deciding to absolve herself of the responsibility for this decision, she transferred the case to another court. The arbitrariness of Putin’s regime is now fully assumed by his lackeys and servants.

The section of IWA (International Workers Association) in Russia calls for solidarity with the “Courier” union to demand the unconditional freedom of Kirill!

“The independent Courier trade union in Russia is a grassroots organization that hinders business. It invents and develops new tactics of struggle in the field of precarious work. For two years, violent repressions have been exerted against its militants, using both economic strangulation via repeated trials and direct physical coercion Now, Kirill Ukraintsev, president of the Courier union, is under the control of the system put in place by the Delivery Club, owned by the O2O media holding company. By eliminating Kirill, they want to make us stop fighting.

Today we ask all comrades disgusted by the oppression of man by man and the alienation of Labor by Capital, to support our organization of precarious workers (…)

We call on our foreign companions to take part in the solidarity actions that would be put in place:

– Participate in pickets and rallies near the Russian Embassy in your country or city. You can refer to the video with words of support from Kirill Ukraintsev, his family and the Courier union. Send all videos, photos and links to our Telegram chat bot @CourierUnionFeedbackBot or email muharatgaijima@gmail.com

– Give maximum publicity to this case. Publish press releases in the media, inform on your websites, inform the deliverers of your countries, …

– Produce and publish visuals, images, stickers, posters, graffiti, etc.

– We need to establish contacts within the international trade union movement. Exchange our experiences. This is perhaps the best aid to the development of independent trade unions. »

In the words of our companions: Couriers are not slaves! Solidarity is our weapon!

Freedom for Kirill Ukraintsev!

Compañeros of the CNT-AIT (France)

https://cnt-ait.info

contact@cnt-ait

Read also: The solidarity of workers across borders despite the war is also a struggle Down with the nationalism that poisons the minds of workers! https://cnt-ait.info/2022/11/07/solidarity-across-borders/

Translation from French : https://cnt-ait.info/2022/11/07/liberte-kirill/