Useful idiots or how Britain’s Stop the War Coalition serves Kremlin’s interests

On the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February, Britain’s Stop the War Coalition (STWC) could barely attract 2,000 people to its national demonstration in London against the war in Ukraine. The main slogan of the rally was  “Peace talks now – Stop the War in Ukraine”. However, as many observers pointed out, these activists demanded to stop arms supplies to Ukraine and stop supporting Ukraine in general, rather than stop the war. 

As Stop the War prepares to hold a new event in London dedicated to the Russia-Ukraine war, the Insight News Media decided to look into who benefits from their “anti-war” efforts.

Stop the War refuses to acknowledge that only Putin's regime is to blame for the war

The Stop the War Coalition claims that NATO expansion contributed to Russia's attack and does not hold Putin's government responsible for the brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine. Why didn't a war break out when Finland recently joined NATO?

These so-called "peace" activists fail to recognize that Russia is an imperialist power with a brutal dictator that has invaded a sovereign neighboring state. And the only way for the civilized world to move forward is to oppose Putin's regime and Russia's aggressive war.

Why do demands to stop the war play into the Kremlin's hands?

The major demands of the Stop the War movement actually mean: "Stop sending weapons to Ukraine; an immediate ceasefire; and peace talks." However, the activists do not demand that the Russian troops withdraw from Ukraine.

Let's imagine the West listens to the recommendation and stops providing Ukraine with weapons. In that scenario, Russia would triumph and Ukraine would submit to Russian political dominance. As we saw in Bucha, Izium, and other towns where Russia's occupying forces committed war crimes, it would result in terror under Russian rule.

Following recent military setbacks, Putin wants to use an "immediate ceasefire" to regroup, restock, and attack again – not to seek peace. Additionally, it will entail the right to employ force, invade beyond internationally acknowledged borders, and annex sovereign state’s territory.

Realistic military assessments indicate that Putin has no plans to halt his ongoing, brutal war and that he is preparing a new conscription and offensive. Calls for a ceasefire in this situation imply Ukrainian defeat and submission.

Why should Ukraine "seek compromise" with Putin by letting Russia possess 20% of its land?

Ukraine has the right to decide for itself. Ukraine has the right to defend itself, Ukrainians have the right to fight and to ask the West for weapons.

Without a delay, Russian repression will continue to afflict Ukrainians in Melitopol, Kherson, and Luhansk. And 

Why should Russia’s repressions continue in Melitopol, occupied parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, in Luhansk and Donetsk? One must keep in mind that Russian occupation involves widespread looting, rape, torture, and mass arrests as well as the introduction of a foreign police state regime and the eradication of any opposition and elected leaders.

European ‘pacifists’ must keep in mind that 1,200 civilian bodies were discovered following the Russian retreat from Kyiv region last April. Ukrainian authorities are investigating more than 50,000 war crimes.

False claims on who started the war and reasons behind Russian aggression

The Stop the War activists, and the useful idiots (a term used to reference a person propagandizing for a cause – particularly a bad cause – without fully comprehending the cause's goals, and who is cynically being used by the cause's leaders – ed.) that help them, make no sense when they argue that NATO caused this war. 

The only truth is that Putin, a dictatorial imperialist aggressor, started this full-scale war by invading Ukraine to take more land than he did in 2014. 

NATO has no troops in Ukraine, while Russian invaders fight the Ukrainian army. 

Some Western countries are helping Ukraine in preventing it from being overtaken by a cruel, aggressive neighbor. Putin and his regime are responsible for the invasion and its consequences.

The West has no interest in a Russian-Ukrainian war which causes instability and economic turmoil. The West did not want this war. Putin’s regime started this war to conquer all of Ukraine. 

Silence on Russian war crimes in Ukraine despite calls ‘to stop the war’

You won't find information about the atrocities committed by Putin's army on the Stop the War website, nor will you find support for the anti-war protesters who are currently detained in Russia or the tens of thousands of Russian refugees who fled their country to escape Putin's imperialist war.

People in the EU and the UK should reevaluate their attitude to the Stop the War campaign, which has turned biased due to a pro-Moscow stance, and should not support protests related to the Russia-Ukraine war. 

The civilized world should demand that Russian troops leave Ukraine, aid Ukraine with more arms, and deplore Russian atrocities against Ukrainians.

New event by Stop the War Coalition

On April 22, Stop the War Coalition is planning a rally in London entitled “Europe for Peace: Stop the War in Ukraine”. Among the speakers, there are politicians whose rhetoric suits the Kremlin’s agenda.

Clare Daly – an Irish politician who has been a member of the European Parliament since 2019. She is known for her critical statements about Western policy towards Russia and advocating the need for dialogue with Moscow. In 2019, she visited the territories illegally annexed by Russia, namely Crimea, together with other MEPs and spoke out against Russia sanctions.

She was also active in discrediting Ukraine’s leadership, accusing NATO and the United States of escalating the conflict.

Sevim Dağdelen – is a German politician, a member of the Bundestag from the Left party. Sevim Dağdelen has some ties to Russia, she has met with representatives of the Russian authorities and spoke out against Russia sanctions. She published an article stating that the provision of Leopard tanks to Ukraine was a mistake.

Real activists or just useful idiots?

It will be hard for Ukrainian forces to launch massive counteroffensives to reclaim the rest of their land, like they did so well in Kharkiv and Kherson in 2022, until they get additional and additional types of heavy weapons from their Western allies. 

Both nations will be forced to negotiate a truce when one or both of their sides runs out of resources to wage war. But the Russian government still opposes Ukraine's right to exist as an independent nation and wants to annex its territory. That is why the governments and citizens of the Western nations support Ukraine.

However, Western support for Ukraine has sparked resistance from so-called “anti-war” movements. Their calls to “end the war in Ukraine” translate to “stop assisting Ukraine in defending itself.”

These so-called "peace activists" frequently make news for their initiatives that support Russia. They intensified their efforts at the same time as Ukraine received more heavy weapons and stronger restrictions were placed on Russia's energy industry. Perhaps, everything was a coincidence and Russia just employed them as "useful idiots" to advance its war objectives.

While it is impossible to determine whether the Stop the War movement receives funding or is influenced by Kremlin-backed groups, these protests are beneficial to Russia and are held exactly when Moscow needs them.