What communist sympathizers usually don’t get

Communist ideas are actively spreading among Gen Z in the West as a protest against capitalism.Serafima reminds us of the true face of ‘red’ ideology, which took her great-great-grandfather’s life.

Editor’s note:

Today we are publishing a story dedicated to Victory Day — Russia’s celebration of its victory in WWII. Though this day was meant to symbolize that a war as devastating as WWII would never happen again, Russia is once again waging war in the heart of Europe.

This year, the date feels especially tense: Russia announced a temporary ceasefire, while Zelenskyy warned that Ukrainian drones could reach Moscow during the military parade.

If you don’t want to miss any important news from Ukraine, like possible attacks on Russia, upgrade your subscription.

KYIV, Ukraine — Free healthcare, apartments, school lunches, and the promise of equality. Those ideas start to resonate more and more with young people in Western countries who are completely fed up with student debt, unaffordable rent, and medical bills.

Their shelves are lined with copies of Marx’s Das Kapital. A red hammer-and-sickle flag hangs on the wall. They debate Lenin’s ideas with friends. But the thing is: they never lived under real communism.

My ancestors did, and one of them was killed by the Soviet regime.

A large formation of servicemen in berets and camouflage uniforms stands on Palace Square, decorated with a giant red star banner for the 81st Victory Day Parade rehearsal. (Photo by Artem Priakhin/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images).

This Saturday, the same red flags bearing the hammer and sickle will be unfurled not only in the homes of Western youth but also on Moscow’s Red Square, where a military parade will celebrate May 9, Russia’s Victory Day over Nazi Germany. It is the biggest annual holiday for Russians, as it is a chance to unite society around the image of a ‘great victorious power.’ While much of the world observes the day in mourning and remembrance, Russia uses this occasion to showcase its military might and associate itself with the ‘glory’ of a Soviet past.

For democracies around the world, nazi symbols and ideology remain deeply taboo, with some countries even criminalizing their promotion. Yet communism, despite its own long history of terror, mass executions, genocides and repressions, is still treated with far less stigma. Especially by those who never lived under a communist regime.

After the paywall:
- Why communism is again rising in democratic countries;
- Why Serafima’s great-great-grandfather was sentenced to 10 years in one of the cruelest labor camps in the USSR;
- Why Serafima and her mother needed to get in touch with Ukrainian security services to know the truth about her family.