2022 Annual Report

The annual report is our moment to look back over the year gone by. Since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the daily news has been dominated by the destruction of cities and villages, the suffering and pain of the civilian population, stories of flight and forced displacement, and the debate on arms deliveries and sanctions.

The war has also played an important role in the work of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. In the first days of the war, staffand members of the RLS collected aid supplies and brought them to the Polish-Ukrainian border. We donated money, and looked after our local staff in the Kyiv office, helping them with specific issues. We also focused our work even more strongly on the topic of “War and Peace”. Within a very short time, we produced texts and analysis, and published eyewitness reports and expert interviews, which we compiled in an online dossier. With almost 40,000 views, this was our most accessed dossier in 2022, and we are constantly expanding and updating it. Our demand is displayed on our Berlin headquarters, too, and can be seen from afar: “Die Waffen nieder!” (Lay down your weapons!).

As a result of the war, crises and class antagonisms have intensified. Food, electricity, heating — the cost of living has risen sharply. Meanwhile, some are profiting from the war and the crisis: weapons manufacturers and large energy companies are enjoying increased revenue. But while other countries — Spain, for example — are siphoning off this excess revenue to mitigate the worst effects of the crisis on low-income earners, families with children, and people living on pensions, the German government has been hesitant. Based on studies and surveys, our analyses show that many people feel threatened by poverty and most of the population is in favour of redistribution and of introducing of a wealth tax. The focus of this annual report is on precisely these issues.

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