Well over a dozen countries attacked Soviet territories in the years immediately after the Russian Revolution, each deploying their own justifications. For the Greek government, sending 25,000 troops as part of the French-led Black Sea intervention, it was the plight of Greek-speaking communities and suppression of the Greek Orthodox Church. Rakovsky, as head of Soviet Ukraine, refutes those accusations.

‘Message to Greece from Soviet Ukraine’ by Christian Rakovsky from Soviet Russia (New York). Vol. 1 No. 22. November 1, 1919.

TO THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AT ATHENS

THE units of the regular Greek Army operating in conjunction with French subjects have continued to occupy the territory of the Black Sea coast of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic. Of late they occupied Aleckki and Bereslav. This intrusion on foreign territory without any legitimate reason and without a formal declaration of war is considered by all international law as an act of brigandage. If the Greek Government supposes that its alliance with France makes it immune against the consequences of its policy of gross violence towards the workers and peasants of the Ukraine and that it is immune against any punishment which it may thus incur, the Greek Government is harboring illusions. Before long it will have to yield to the judgment of the Greek workers and peasants and render account for the violations committed not only against them, but also toward the workers and peasants of other countries, in which the Greek Army, playing the part of mediaeval mercenaries, is shedding its blood in defense of the interests of international capitalism. The Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Government is aware of the methods of agitation to which the Greek Government resorts in order to encourage the Greek soldiers who refuse to fight against the workers and peasants of the Ukraine. It is acquainted with the nationalistic and religious campaign which the Greek Government is conducting in order to slander the Soviet Power as persecuting religion and the Greek elements in Southern Ukraine. If they have in mind the Greek speculators and stock exchange brokers, whose system of exploitation includes the coast of the Black Sea belonging to the Ukraine and Russia–to fight against them as well as against all exploiters of the Ukraine without distinction of nationality is the principal aim of every Socialist government. So far as the poor Greek fishermen are concerned who constitute the population of the coastlines of the Ukraine and Crimea or the 150,000 poor Greek peasants who live in Transcaucasia, their sympathies are entirely on the side of the Soviet Power, and all attempts of the Greek bourgeoisie to divert the attention of the Greek fishermen and landless peasants from the class struggle, by means of pan-hellenic propaganda, have thus far been and will remain futile. Nevertheless, the Greek Government, not sufficiently cognizant of these circumstances, not only continues to interfere with the affairs of the Greek peasants and workers of the Black Sea coast, but it even has the audacity to fit out special Missions which it intends to send to the Ukraine and Southern Russia for the purpose of stirring up nationalistic passions and civil strife. Thus for example, through their efforts the agencies throughout Europe have published the following telegram emanating from Constantinople: “With the sanction of the Holy Synod the Greek Government decided to send to Russia, simultaneously with its troops, which are completely ready to embark, three bishops, four archimandrites, and forty priests, with a coterie of clergymen who are well versed in the Russian language and who possess the gift of oratory. The aim of the expedition is to exercise a religious influence over the Russians.”

It is by no means the intention of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Government to take note of the blissful ignorance in which both the Greek Government and the Holy Synod yet remain as regards the new intellectual level of the “Moujiks” of the Ukraine, who have been robbed and fooled for centuries by the Greek monks who used to come from Mount Athos or Constantinople and who fooled and robbed them in the name of Christ. But in order to avoid any misunderstanding, the Provisional Government of the Ukraine deems it its duty to warn the Greek Government that it declares the eloquent bishops, archimandrites and priests, with all the clergymen who accompany them, to be agents provocateurs and spies who will be arrested and immediately arraigned before the revolutionary court martial. The Provisional Government of the Ukraine at the same time calls the attention of the Greek Government that its policy of military intervention in the affairs of the Ukraine must needs affect the destiny of the Greek bourgeoisie residing on Ukrainian territory.

President of the Ukrainian Provisional Workers’ and Peasants’ Government. People’s Commissary for Foreign Affairs, RAKOVSKY.

Kharkov, February 26th.

Soviet Russia began in the summer of 1919, published by the Bureau of Information of Soviet Russia and replaced The Weekly Bulletin of the Bureau of Information of Soviet Russia. In lieu of an Embassy the Russian Soviet Government Bureau was the official voice of the Soviets in the US. Soviet Russia was published as the official organ of the RSGB until February 1922 when Soviet Russia became to the official organ of The Friends of Soviet Russia, becoming Soviet Russia Pictorial in 1923. There is no better US-published source for information on the Soviet state at this time, and includes official statements, articles by prominent Bolsheviks, data on the Soviet economy, weekly reports on the wars for survival the Soviets were engaged in, as well as efforts to in the US to lift the blockade and begin trade with the emerging Soviet Union.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/srp/v1-soviet-russia-June-Dec-1919.pdf