The Communist Party of the Russian Federation held a congress of the sponsored Leninist Communist Youth Union

On Friday, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation held a congress of the sponsored Leninist Communist Youth Union of the Russian Federation (LKSM RF). The event was timed to coincide with the 105th anniversary of the all-Union organization of the same name. Young Komsomol members on the sidelines of the congress willingly told a Kommersant correspondent about their goal to achieve communism (at least in a single country), opposed people from the 90s who argued that everything Soviet was outdated, stated that the current Communist Party -it bypasses even the ruling one. Meanwhile, from the rostrum, older communists, in the same Soviet traditions, solemnly reminded Komsomol members of the significance of the historical mission entrusted to them. Those, however, seemed to have guessed about it themselves.

The welcoming speech at the Komsomol congress was taken by the Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR, Vladimir Lenin: “We need to dwell in detail on the question of what we should teach and how young people should learn if they really want to justify the high title of communist youth.” Of course, the hologram deliberately sprinkled quotes from “Tasks of Youth Unions.” But even this “ghost of communism” was greeted by young people with a storm of applause. The politician (as if alive) warned that one can become a communist only by “enriching the memory” with all the “riches developed by human culture,” but “without work and struggle,” neither this knowledge nor knowledge directly about communism is “worth nothing.”

Later, Komsomol members admitted to Kommersant that they were proud of the systemic communists’ craving for digital trends. “Some people think that the Komsomol is something ancient and incomprehensible,” complained the first secretary of the Lyubertsy cell, Andrei Mazhuga. “In fact, the Komsomol is now developing very actively: it supports new ideas, new hobbies, such as e-sports.” The comrade was supported by Komsomol member Daniil Balashov from the Moscow region: “Since the nineties, this trend has begun that the union and everything Soviet is outdated, but the Communist Party at some points is ahead of even the ruling one.” However, a solid historical background helps to attract interested peers to the movement, Andrei Mazhuga admitted: “Young people who are interested in history are simply interested in listening and attending events. I have an active membership of 30 people who don’t want to join yet, but are actively participating.” Let us note that the Komsomol members surveyed, due to their young age, still drew their own understanding of the advantages of the Soviet experience from literature and conversations with older comrades.

Nevertheless, Mr. Mazhuga, like many of his other comrades, said that he joined the communists for ideological reasons, and even recalled that at one of the events, representatives of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh) praised Komsomol members for their adherence to ideology. “Ask young people from other political organizations why they are in them. They won’t be able to answer you,” the Komsomol member advised and immediately answered this question himself: “The goal is communism, that’s the whole point.”

Before communism, as we know, socialism comes, and the young participants of the congress had a chance to feel the pathos of its “stagnant” period, which was well known to older generations. The first secretary of the Komsomol Central Committee, Vladimir Isakov, occupied the podium for an hour with an extremely detailed report on the activities of the organization. Among other things, the speaker noted that throughout the three post-Soviet decades, young people remained “one of the most vulnerable groups of the population,” which resulted in their “alienation from the state.” The propaganda did not manage to confuse everyone, Mr. Isakov rejoiced, noting that in recent years sales of books related to the socialist idea have been growing in bookstores. The leadership of the Komsomol managed to recruit the most active, as a result of which the organization became a “reliable personnel reserve” of the Communist Party, the politician reported. Meanwhile, that same reserve was openly stuck on their phones.

But the highly experienced Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov assessed the lengthy speech of his young comrade-in-arms extremely positively: “I listened to the report and began to envy Isakov – smart, energetic, with a good video sequence. I’m doing worse!” Mr. Zyuganov pointed out that the Komsomol members bear a heavy responsibility, since on the other flank they are opposed by “fascist and Nazi organizations recruited by big capital, ready to protect their pocket.” “I congratulate you and thank you for having accomplished your feat by standing on the side of goodness and justice: without socialism, our country will not be able to win in this story,” the politician concluded.

Gennady Zyuganov’s theses about the significance of the international struggle were confirmed by foreign speakers from more than ten countries: Cuba, Portugal, Serbia, Kyrgyzstan and even Ukraine (a video was sent from Kiev). “This congress is a manifestation of the strong spirit of revolutionary youth, adherents of the ideals of communism, who are ready to devote their lives to fighting for them,” said Panche Singh, a representative of the All-Nepal International Student Union. Like other foreign guests, Ms. Singh emphasized that her organization was built on the principles laid down by “Comrade Lenin.”

The significance of the high authority of the Russian youth communist organization in a conversation with Kommersant was emphasized by the first deputy chairman of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Central Committee, Yuri Afonin: “In Europe, in the world, their representatives take even more principled and pro-Russian positions than their senior comrades in the communist movement, but we need solidarity ” Along with the international Komsomol, it performs creative and personnel functions, the communist continued: “We are happy to nominate the most talented and promising guys, but it is important that it be on merit, so that people do not “make a career,” but live as a party, live as a country.” Let us note that Yuri Afonin himself began his political career with the Komsomol: in the late 90s he revived this organization in the Tula region, and in 2004 he headed the executive committee of the Union of Komsomol organizations – the All-Union Leninist Communist Youth Union. But the politician did not use himself as an example, but, as is now customary, Komsomol members who took part in the military operation in Ukraine: “Convinced Komsomol members who love their homeland, guys who are ready to give their lives for their homeland.”

Grigory Leiba