On the eve of the Trump-Putin meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s sweatshirt made headlines worldwide. It was emblazoned with the letters CCCP, the Russian initials for the USSR. (Союз Советских Социалистических Республик - Union of Soviet Socialist Republics).

Those in the EU, NATO, and the broader Euro-Atlantic camp are well aware that today’s Russia is the opposite of the Soviet Union. Still, the four letters "CCCP" are enough to trigger certain anti-communist reflexes. That’s not exactly a hard thing to do.

Multifaceted anti-communism has proven to be an integral part of the war propaganda promoted by the two imperialist camps currently engaged in military conflict in Ukraine (for the time being).

The Russian bourgeoisie, particularly over the past three years amid the escalation of the Russia–NATO war, has been shamelessly exploiting the achievements, sacrifices, and contributions of the first socialist state, the Soviet Union ─ particularly its role in crushing fascism and Nazism in World War II.  This exploitation aims to rally peoples, both domestically and internationally, in support of the objectives of Russian and other monopolies.

It draws on the reputation and prestige earned by the first workers' state, both for the achievements it secured for the peoples of the USSR and for, as a workers' state, becoming a force that struck fear into the imperialists by fighting and defeating them from the Urals to Berlin.

It is no coincidence that, even today, nearly 35 years after the counterrevolution, this prestigious legacy is reflected in Russian polls. Overwhelmingly, with more than 60% of respondents, the period of socialist construction and the era of the Soviet Union are identified as the best in the country’s history. Similar findings have been recorded in other former USSR republics as well. Notably, more recent surveys have shown an increase in support among younger generations, who never lived under socialism, yet still express positive views of the Soviet period. They describe it as a time of justice, rights, stability, and prosperity for the people.

After all, that prestigious legacy continues to haunt all those who fought to the death to overthrow socialism, i.e. the imperialists of the US, NATO, and the EU, as well as those who betrayed it, serving and advancing the cause of the counterrevolution, i.e. the overthrow of socialism.

The initials "CCCP" will never just be a logo. They will always represent the different society, the victory of the working class, the abolition of wage slavery, and the socialism that was "established in struggle". They will inspire terror in exploiters everywhere until they and their power become a thing of the past.

Several mouthpieces of the Russian bourgeoisie's agenda have seen illusions in the symbolism that might be amusing, but ultimately dangerous. Capitalist Russia would not exist today if socialism in the USSR had not been overthrown. The time of birth of today's capitalist Russia is the time of overthrow of socialism in the USSR.

After all, even as individuals, the later leaders of capitalist Russia took part in the counterrevolution in the USSR. They stood with Yeltsin and the thieves of the Soviet peoples’ hard-earned wealth. Having overthrown the workers' state, having brought back to power those whom the proletariat damned with the Great October Socialist Revolution, led by the Bolsheviks, and having utterly disregarded and crushed everything the peoples of the USSR built and fought for under socialism... now they parade the initials "CCCP" as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Trump over security guarantees in Ukraine. They negotiate over how the peoples who once achieved greatness by building socialism together in the 20th century will continue to be slaughtered, over who will seize Ukraine’s rare earths and more, and over which monopolies will control the maritime and land routes for transporting goods.

After all, it wasn't that long ago when Vladimir Putin, speaking on behalf of Russia's monopolies, declared that ─ alongside the so-called denazification of Ukraine ─ he also has the know-how for a 'real' decommunization, going as far as to unleash a scathing attack on Lenin. "Red terror", "totalitarian regime", "Stalinist dictatorship", "October coup", the Great October Socialist Revolution, etc. are terms that have been attributed to the USSR not only by the Euro-Atlantic camp, but also by Putin himself.

It's no news that Nazi battalions and organisations operate on both sides of the Russia-NATO war, integrated into each camp's operational plans. The Russian bourgeoisie and its political figures have no problem switching between their supposed respect for the USSR and the rehabilitation of  Nazi collaborators.

The invocation of the USSR by Russia's gravediggers of socialism is yet another aspect of preparations for an even more generalised imperialist conflict. This time, however, the steppes of Ukraine are bleeding for the interests of the imperialists, not for the defense of the socialist motherland. That motherland was destroyed by those who are now plundering the legacy of socialism for the very peoples who built it, such as the peoples of Russia and Ukraine.

Anti-communism and anti-Sovietism bring together all sides of the conflict. This includes the Zelensky regime, Putin, the EU, Trump, and his predecessor, Biden. They all want to prevent the peoples from taking matters into their own hands, emerging victorious from the imperialist slaughter, and overthrowing the power of capital. No matter how hard the exploiters try to banish this prospect, they cannot escape it!

A commentary published on the news portal of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) - https://www.902.gr/

19.08.2025