Dr. Angelo D’ Angelo, Chairman of U.S. Friends of Soviet People - Member of the Editorial
Board of Northstar Compass
Victor V. Bourenkov, Chairman of Soviet Society for Friendship and Solidarity with Foreign Peoples - Member of Central Committee, Russian Communist Workers’ Party- Revolutionary Party of Communists – Member of Revolutionary Communist Youth League
Soviet Friendship Society in Action
Viktor V. Bourenkov, Chairperson
Introduction
The Soviet Friendship Society for Friendship with the Peoples in Foreign countries was established in March 2003 following the call by the First World Congress for Friendship and Solidarity with Soviet People (Toronto, September 2001).
The Society pursues the following aims:
• To act as a bridge between organizations and movements determined to re-establish the USSR as a socialist state;
• To support the class struggle of the working people;
• To co-ordinate solidarity with the anti-imperialist struggles around the world;
• In the course of the struggle for the re-establishment of the USSR, to strengthen the ties of friendship and solidarity between the peoples, to organize public meetings for international delegations, to raise awareness amongst the public movement on the international situation.
Following the tasks set forth by the World Congress and the International Council, we produced the first Russian-language edition of Northstar Compass in December 2005.
Organizational Structure
The founding meeting in March 2003 had adopted the Constitution of the Society. The 2005 Conference made some minor amendments to the Constitution.
The Conferences, which are held at least once every two years, elect the Central Coordination Council and the Central Control and Revision Commission, which are the governing bodies between the Conferences.
Geography
Since its foundation in Moscow, several new branches of the society have been formed in the territory of the Soviet Union. The most active branches now are in Moscow, Saransk (Russia) and Donetsk (Ukraine).
There is a growing interest in the Society’s activity amongst the comrades in the Union of Communists of the Ukraine, which may result in new branches in Kiev and throughout Ukraine.
Uniting the movement for the re-birth of the Soviet Union and socialism
The Society co-operates actively with the organisations and movements involved in this struggle. In particular, the Russian Communist Workers’ Party — the Revolutionary Party of Communists, the CPSU, RCP-CPSU (Prigarin), the youth organisations of RCYL(B) and the AKM-TR, “Za SSSR” newspaper, “Lenin i Otechestvo” movement. The struggle takes various forms, including the involvement in the labour movement and in the protest movement. The role of the Society is to provide the international link to this struggle in the territory of the USSR. This is accomplished, first of all, by the publication of the Russian-language Northstar Compass. We also distribute the English-language NSC as well as news from the international communist movement and the anti-imperialist struggles.
We keep ties with a number of public organisations in Russia. Apart from left-wing political parties these are the Soyuz public movement, the Venceremos group, the International Union of Slavic Journalists, the Cuban Embassy in Russia, the Soyuz concert group and others.
While we are developing broad public support, we realise that the input by communist in the task of re-establishing the USSR is crucial and central to our movement.
International Solidarity
The Society has been watching actively at the events around the world. On many occasions we have collaborated with the Venceremos group around the issue of supporting the Miami Five, picketed the US Embassy in Moscow and distributing publications in their support. We spoke in support of movements against imperialism. We issued a number of statements against the war, condemning the US aggression in Iran, in the Middle East.
The Web Site
The Russian-language website http://www.ns-c.org/ is updated regularly. We make most articles from the Russian Northstar Compass available on-line.
The Journal
The publications of Russian-language NSC are central to the Friendship Society’s activity. Our production capacity is at current maximum of around 6 issues per year.
We select articles from two issues of English-language NSC, which we think would me most interesting to Russian-language readers, and translate them. We also add relevant articles in Russian from our writers of from other sources. We believe this kind of composition for Russian NSC is optimal, as the Russian-language version has never been intended to be the direct translation of its English-language counterpart.
The Editorial Board is comprised by the representatives of the Society, the affiliated movements and comrades from abroad. What every issue depends on most are the translations. The translation work is co-ordinated by Maria Donchenko (AKM-TR, Moscow), who does a large amount of translation herself.
Since we started, we have acquainted many new subscribers from Russia, the adjacent ex-Soviet republics and beyond.
Printing
The Moscow District Branch of the Russian Communist Workers’ Party — Revolutionary Party of Communists has organised printing facilities at a location in Moscow. This consists of an offset printing press and complementing equipment.
In 2007 the International Council has coordinated the acquisition of two pieces of equipment using a part of the funds donated towards the publication of Russian-language NSC. The printing facility has since become more productive.
The printing is operated by RCWP-RPC members on voluntary basis in their free time.
Problems
Sadly, several comrades, who were active in our work, passed away since we started the Society and the journal. This includes Boris Gunko (1931-2006, poet, member of Central Coordination Council), Georgii I. Tikhonov (the founder of the Soyuz movement, the first Chairman of the Friendship Society), Vladimir Gurevich (member of the Central Coordination Council; the man who managed the subscribers and the mailing).
Most members of the Central Coordination Council are already involved in political parties and movements and have to combine their work in their organisations with the work in the Friendship Society. This means they can devote only a limited amount of time to the Society work.
Finding people to do the work for the Society is a big problem. For instance, we have not been able find anyone to be the Deputy of the Chairperson for two years. Vladimir Chechentsev wants to hand over the work of the Editor of Russian NSC, but there is no one to replace him.
The printing facility means that NSC can be produced cheaply and without censorship. At the same time, because it depends on the free time people can allocate, there may be delays in production. A recent issue was ordered with private printers to get it produced quicker.
We do not have professional printers amongst our comrades, which makes it harder to keep the top quality. The printing is managed by Konstantin Kunshchikov from the Moscow Committee of RCWP-RPC. Several comrades from RCWP-RPC take part in the printing process in their free time.
We have around 100 subscribers. The rest of the circulation is distributed by the members of the society amongst social organisations and at various public events. The sales bring back only about a quarter of the budget needed to print the journal. The publications of Russian NSC would not have been possible without financial support from the International Council and donations from NSC readers and Society members and supporters.
The Nearest Tasks
The success of the Soviet Friendship Society will very much depend on the development of Russian-language NSC. We have set ourselves the task of increasing the circulation and making Russian NSC a self-sustaining edition.
Konstantin Kunschikov has proposed a plan of promoting Russian NSC through increasing its quality. We will put effort into increasing the quality of selected material, producing a higher-quality colour printing and promoting it actively amongst all supporters of socialism and of the USSR.
The Third World Congress
The majority in Central Coordinating Council support the proposal to hold the Third World Congress for Friendship and Solidarity with Soviet People in Chile. Such an event would go hand-in-hand with the anti-imperialist developments in Latin America. Although Chile is a remote destination for members of the Soviet Friendship Society, we will do our best to send a delegation.
The Future
We aim to increase the international awareness of the new struggle for socialism where it first materialised as a political power. We see it as an inherent part of the revolutionary, anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist struggle around the world.
We have a long way to go, but we are enthusiastic about accomplishing the tasks we set forth. We believe that we will only attain victory if we apply Marxist-Leninist principles to modern conditions and act as part of communist movement. Our international ties make our struggle stronger and stronger en route to the world-wide triumph of communism.
Long live the re-established USSR! Socialism is the reality for tomorrow. Long live the new socialist revolutions!
Viktor V. Bourenkov <v.burro@gmail.com/>
Chairperson, Soviet Society for Friendship and Solidarity with Foreign Peoples
Member, Central Committee, Russian Communist Workers’ Party — Revolutionary Party of Communists http://rkrp-rpk.ru/
Member, Revolutionary Communist Youth League (Bolshevik) http://rksmb.ru