Ukrainians went through very terrible things. And despite everything, they retained their love for freedom.
History seems to echo itself: 90 years ago, Stalin orchestrated a man-made famine, starving millions of Ukrainians to death as part of a genocidal policy. Today, Russia wages a full-scale invasion in February 2022 and is repeating the tragic history: destroying civilian infrastructure, schools, hospitals, and residential buildings, and inflicting harm on civilians.
The Holodomor of 1932-1933, recognized as genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, was a deliberate famine policy by the Soviet regime. After Stalin concentrated the full power in the Soviet Union in his hands in the late 1920s, Stalin’s totalitarian policies and forced grain seizures resulted in mass resistance by Ukrainians.
The regime, enforced starvation, sealed borders, and settlements, preventing escape. Though the exact number of Holodomor victims is hard to ascertain due to the regime’s cover-up, cumulative demographic losses are estimated at least 4.5 million lives. Russia’s historical and current goals seem consistent: eliminating Ukrainian identity and nationhood. The winter of 1932-1933 saw millions perish due to starvation; in winters of 2022-2024, Russia is accused of trying to cause death through freezing.
“Once they wanted to destroy us with hunger, now with darkness and cold”, said the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi in a speech last year.
The Russian regime artificially limits the access of millions of people to Ukrainian grain and aggravates the food situation in the world. Putin weaponizes food for political gains.
The Soviet regime committed the Holodomor of 1932-1933, while the current Russian regime started the
#HungerGame
In 1963, the outstanding Ukrainian master of monumental sculpture Mykhailo Dmytrenko painted “thousand nine hundred and thirty-third.” On the canvas he depicted the Holodomor victims and their killers.
Today, as a result of the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine, people in other parts of the world are experiencing food shortages and rising food prices. Hundreds of millions of people in Africa and Asia feel the consequences of the destruction of Ukraine’s agricultural infrastructure and the blockade of Ukrainian grain exports by Russia.
Before the 2022 invasion, Ukraine held substantial world market shares in key agricultural goods. Similar to the Holodomor era, Russia allegedly steals and sells Ukraine’s produce, financing its aggressive war.
The international recognition of Holodomor as genocide began in 1993. To date, 28 countries and international bodies, including the European Parliament and Council of Europe, acknowledge it.
The Soviet Union was never punished for its crimes. The world did not stop Holodomor 90 years ago, but it can prevent Russia from starving people in the most vulnerable regions.
The tragedy of the Ukrainian people emphasizes that crimes against humanity should never be forgotten, and genocide must be condemned globally.
In 2023, Holodomor Memorial Day Already was observed on November 25, marking a solemn occasion to reflect on the historical injustice and honor the innocent victims.
For further information on Holodomor, visit: the Holodomor Museum
