Kyiv, September 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine's Borotba leftist association has declared it is ready to help Russia's Left Front in the case of the serious persecution and arrest of its leaders and activists in Russia.

A candidate for Ukrainian MP in district No. 218 in Kyiv, Borotba Party leader Serhiy Kyrychuk, and Left Front coordinator Alexei Sakhnin said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday that a joint project had been launched to counter political repression on both sides of the Ukrainian-Russian border.

Sakhnin said that the personal freedom of the Left Front leaders, headed by Sergei Udaltsov, could be at risk at any time, in particular, in connection with the holding in Moscow on September 15 of the next March of Millions, and in this case Ukrainian colleagues will help the organization express its position. Left Front has already sent its authorized representatives to Ukraine. Borotba, in turn, will render information support to its Russian colleagues and assistance in communicating with the Ukrainian media, and organize rallies of solidarity.

Sakhnin noted that 16 Left Front activists had been imprisoned after the March of Millions rally on May 6, they are being seriously pressurized, they had been blackmailed since the very beginning and demanded that they testify against those whom the administration of the Russian president sees as the organizer of these protest rallies.

"Representatives of the investigative committee directly say that after the next rally we will not be released. And we could be put behind bars at any time. So we have to resort to a practice that until now was used only by Chechen separatists in Russia, and when it was widely used by radical socialists in imperial Russia. This is to create centers abroad, where people do not face arrest and work cannot be interrupted by repressive measures. Of course, in this case there are a lot of costs associated with operational work, and it requires some minimum resources. Fortunately, we have trusted colleagues in Ukraine – the Borotba association with which we have long been cooperating - and now this difficult situation will help us test our partnership and solidarity," he said.

On September 11, Left Front leader Sergei Udaltsov told Interfax that the Moscow city administration had agreed to an opposition March of Millions event on September 15 on a route from the Pushkinskaya metro station to Academician Sakharov Avenue, and a subsequent rally.

An authorized March of Millions action, held on Moscow's Bolotnaya Square on May 6, deteriorated into clashes with the police. The opposition blamed the police for obstructing the march and rally, while the police said the opposition had provoked the clashes. Over 400 people were detained in the unrest. About 20,000 activists took part in the event, according to its organizers. The police claimed about 8,000 people participated in it.