Manifesto to the Ukrainian people with ultimatum demands to the Central Rada

*Central Rada - Ukranian Counsel

December 4(17), 1917

Proceeding from the interests of the unity and fraternal alliance of the workers and working people, the exploited masses in the struggle for socialism, proceeding from the recognition of these principles by the numerous decisions of the organs of revolutionary democracy, the Soviets, and especially the All-Russian Congress of Soviets, the socialist government of Russia, the Council of People's Commissars, reaffirms the right to self-determination belongs to all nations that were oppressed by tsarism and the Great Russian bourgeoisie, up to and including the right of these nations to secede from Russia.

Therefore, we, the Council of People's Commissars, recognize the Ukrainian People's Republic, its right to secede completely from Russia or to enter into an agreement with the Russian Republic on federal or similar relations between them.

Everything that concerns the national rights and national independence of the Ukrainian people is recognized by us, the Council of People's Commissars, immediately, without restrictions and unconditionally.

We have not taken a single step against the Finnish bourgeois republic, which so far remains bourgeois, in the sense of limiting the national rights and national independence of the Finnish people, and we will not take any steps limiting the national independence of any nation from among those who are and wish to be part of the Russian Republic.

We accuse the Rada of pursuing an ambiguous bourgeois policy under the guise of national phrases, which has long been expressed in the non-recognition by the Rada of the Soviets and Soviet power in Ukraine (by the way, the Rada refuses to convene, at the request of the Soviets of Ukraine, a regional congress of Ukrainian Soviets immediately) . This ambiguous policy, which deprives us of the possibility of recognizing the Rada as the plenipotentiary representative of the working and exploited masses of the Ukrainian Republic, has recently brought the Rada to steps that mean the destruction of any possibility of an agreement.

These steps were, firstly, the disorganization of the front.

The Rada is displacing and recalling Ukrainian units from the front by unilateral orders, thus destroying the united common front to the point of disengagement, feasible only through an organized agreement between the governments of both republics.

Secondly, the Rada began to disarm the Soviet troops stationed in Ukraine.

Thirdly, the Rada supports the Kadet-Kaledinsky conspiracy and the uprising against Soviet power. Referring deliberately falsely to the supposedly autonomous rights of the “Don and Kuban”, thereby covering up Kaledin’s counter-revolutionary actions that run counter to the interests and demands of the vast majority of the working Cossacks, the Rada allows troops to pass through its territory to Kaledin, refusing to allow troops against Kaledin to pass.

Taking this path of unheard-of betrayal of the revolution, the path of supporting the worst enemies, both the national independence of the peoples of Russia and the Soviet government, enemies of the toiling and exploited masses - the Cadets and Kaledinites, the Rada would force us to declare, without any hesitation, war on it, even if it were already quite formally recognized and indisputable body of the highest state power, the independent bourgeois republic of Ukraine.

At the present time, in view of all the above circumstances, the Council of People's Commissars puts to the Rada, before the peoples of the Ukrainian and Russian Republics, the following questions:

1. Does the Rada undertake to renounce attempts to disrupt the common front?

2. Does the Rada undertake not to allow any military units going to the Don, the Urals or other places to pass without the consent of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief?

3. Does the Rada undertake to render assistance to the revolutionary troops in their struggle against the counter-revolutionary Kadet-Kaledin uprising?

4. Does the Rada undertake to stop all its attempts to disarm the Soviet regiments and the workers' Red Guard in the Ukraine and immediately return the weapons to those from whom they were taken away?

In the event that a satisfactory answer to these questions is not received within forty-eight hours, the Council of People's Commissars will consider the Rada to be in a state of open war against Soviet power in Russia and the Ukraine.

Council of People's Commissars.

Decrees of the Soviet Power. Volume I. October 25, 1917 - March 16, 1918. Moscow: State. publishing house of political literature, 1957.

Appeal of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and other organizations to the Ukrainian workers, soldiers, peasants, to the entire Ukrainian people

December 8(21), 1917

APPEAL TO UKRAINIAN WORKERS, SOLDIERS, PEASANTS, TO ALL UKRAINIAN PEOPLE

Ukrainian brothers! The enemies of your freedom and ours want to divide us. The Central Rada joined the enemies of Soviet power in Russia.

The Central Rada entered into an agreement with the counter-revolutionary government of Kerensky on the question of how many provinces the imperialist Russian bourgeoisie would deign to include in the Ukraine. The Central Rada sent delegations to Petrograd to see Kerensky and Nekrasov and patiently put up with the abuse of these delegations by these counter-revolutionary rulers. But the Central Rada did not take a single step to enter into an agreement with the Government of Workers and Peasants, which opened the way for all the peoples of Russia to freedom and happiness.

Moreover, at the moment when the workers' and peasants' revolution was victorious in all decisive points in Russia, at that moment the Central Rada dealt a blow to our revolution. The counter-revolutionary movement, launched on the Don by the Black Hundred general Kaletdin, is declared by the Central Rada, in a mockery of common sense, as a movement in favor of "self-determination of the Don." The Rada is negotiating with Kornilovite Kaledin. The Rada impedes the movement of revolutionary troops, allowing Kaledin to mobilize troops against the revolution.

The council went even further. She has committed an act that will fill the hearts of all class-conscious workers and soldiers with indignation. The central council attacked the Kiev revolutionary troops at night, {191} disarmed them and expelled them from Kiev. This is a challenge to the working class of all Russia. This is a challenge to revolutionary soldiers, workers and peasants.

Ukrainian brothers! You are assured that we oppose the self-determination of Ukraine. It's a lie. Not for a minute do we think of encroaching on the rights of Ukraine. The revolutionary proletariat is only interested in ensuring that all nations have the right to self-determination, up to and including secession.

Even from the point of view of the only correctly understood national interests of Ukraine, you must support the Workers' and Peasants' Government of Russia. Think about tomorrow. Where is the class that would be able to ensure freedom for all peoples, including Ukrainians? During the eight months of the revolution you saw the policy of the Kadet bourgeoisie and the policy of the coalition ministries, in which the Mensheviks and Socialist-Revolutionaries sat. This policy led to the defeat of the national freedoms of Ukraine. Even a few days before the fall of the "coalition" government, Kerensky summoned members of the Rada to Petrograd in order to bring them to trial. The Cadet Central Committee, which is the soul of the Kaledin conspiracy, even now speaks openly in favor of strangling the Ukraine. Nevertheless, the Central Rada actually gives a hand to the Kornilov Cadets.

Sensing the betrayal of the Central Rada, all the black crows of the counter-revolution flocked to Kyiv. The imperialists of all countries are now pinning all their hopes on the Rada. The robbers of foreign capital are ready to give loans to the Ukrainian Rada - if only to move it to fight against the workers' and soldiers' revolution. The parties and leaders, who only yesterday strangled the Rada, are today conspiring with it against Soviet power.

Ukrainian workers! Your interests are being betrayed to the capitalists.

Ukrainian soldiers! You are being reinstated against the all-Russian soldier's family. You are being drawn into a criminal internecine war in the interests of Ukrainian landowners.

Ukrainian peasants! You will not see land; you will not see freedom if you separate from the workers and soldiers of Russia.

Remember this. Remember that in opposing the great workers' and peasants' revolution, the Central Rada is committing the greatest crime against the workers, peasants and soldiers of all Russia, against socialism, against the International.

Demand immediate re-election of the Rada. Demand the transfer of all power in the Ukraine to the Soviets of Workers', Soldiers' and Peasants' Deputies.

Let the Ukrainians prevail in these Soviets. Let the Soviet power, the only one capable of safeguarding the interests of the workers, soldiers and peasants, be strengthened in your country too.

Decrees of the Soviet Power. Volume I. October 25, 1917 - March 16, 1918. Moscow: State. publishing house of political literature, 1957.

Resolution in connection with the declaration of the Ukrainian People's Republic as an independent federal Soviet Republic

April 3, 1918

Taking into account the declaration of the Extraordinary Embassy of the People's Secretariat of Ukraine and the resolution of the Second All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets of Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Deputies declaring the Ukrainian People's Republic an independent federal Soviet Republic, the Council of People's Commissars sends warm, fraternal greetings to the Workers' and Peasants' Government, the People's Secretariat and the Central Executive Committee Councils of Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Deputies of Ukraine.

Forced by those difficult conditions that were exhaustively described in the resolution of the Moscow Extraordinary Congress of Soviets, to enter into an agreement according to a peace treaty with the Central Powers and with the Kiev Rada, the Soviet Government of Russia expresses its enthusiastic sympathy for the heroic struggle of the working and exploited masses of Ukraine, which at present is one of vanguards of the world social revolution.

The Council of People's Commissars expresses its unshakable conviction that the time is near when the revolutionary masses of the Ukraine, hand in hand with the proletariat and peasantry of Russia, supported by the revolutionary socialist proletariat of the whole world, will emerge victorious from the struggle against imperialist and capitalist oppression, for the complete emancipation of the working class and for socialism.

Decrees of the Soviet Power. Volume II. March 17 - July 10, 1918 M .: State. publishing house of political literature, 1959.