How anarchist politics are factoring in Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
By Julian Hayda, June 11, 2023
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
What’s that expression – war makes strange bedfellows? Well, that’s on display in Ukraine, where a growing number of Ukrainians are embracing a tradition of anarchism that goes way back there. But they’re doing so in support of their government and institutions like NATO, all in an effort to defeat Russia. NPR’s Julian Hayda reports from Ukraine.
JULIAN HAYDA, BYLINE: If you wade deeply enough into any city’s culture, you’ll be sure to find hubs of counterculture. You know the types. Call them punks, hippies, beatniks, whatever – they espouse a deep distrust of institutions and tend to be against whatever the mainstream is for.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST: (Singing in non-English language).
HAYDA: This pub in central Dnipro was built for people like that. But instead of being any old punk bar, this one is dedicated to a local countercultural hero.
