Ukraine commemorates victims of Holodomor famine

By Aliia Raimbekova and Merve Berker

ANKARA/KYIV, Ukraine (AA) - Victims of the Holodomor famine were commemorated Saturday with events that saw the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy and his wife attended events organized for the 90th anniversary of the tragedy in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, according to a statement by the Office of the President of Ukraine.

The couple attended a prayer held in memory of the victims at the Kyiv-Pechersk Cathedral, then walked to the National Museum of the Holodomor.

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics, Swiss Confederation President Alain Berset and Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte, as well as foreign members of parliament and representatives of diplomatic missions attended the march.

The Ukrainian leader said they honor the memory of millions of victims of the Holodomor with deep sadness and respect. "We thank all the states that chose justice, officially recognized it, recognized the Holodomor as a crime committed against people, Ukraine," he said.

He underlined the need for the world to unite and condemn the crimes of the past.

US President Joe Biden also commemorated the victims.

“We mark the solemn anniversary of the Holodomor as the brave people of Ukraine continue to defend their freedom and Ukraine’s sovereignty against Russia’s brutal war of aggression,” the White House said in a statement.

Calling the policies applied by former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin at that time “inhumane,” the statement said: “Stalin and his regime systematically seized Ukraine’s grain and farms and transferred Ukrainian grain to other parts of the USSR as a tactic to repress Ukraine’s national identity.”

“Today, Ukraine’s agricultural infrastructure is once more being deliberately targeted—this time by Vladimir Putin as part of his drive for conquest and power,” it noted. “Russian forces seek to destroy Ukraine’s economy and independence, deliberately damaging fields and destroying Ukraine’s grain storage facilities and ports.”

“It is not just an attack on Ukraine’s economic security, it is a cynical assault on food security everywhere. Putin is hurting the world’s most vulnerable communities, for Russia’s profit,” it said.

“On this anniversary, we remember and honor all those, both past and present, who have endured such hardship and who continue still to fight against tyranny,” it said. “We also recommit ourselves to preventing suffering, protecting fundamental freedoms, and responding to human rights abuses whenever and wherever they occur.”

-“We stand united with Ukraine.”

At least 3.9 million people starved to death between 1932 and 1933 due to Stalin's policies and the "collectivization" of agriculture, according to the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory.

The Soviet Union implemented the collectivization of its agricultural sector between 1928 and 1940 to integrate individual landholdings and labor into collectively controlled and state-controlled farms. It affected a significant part of the west and south of the Soviet Union.

Estimates conclude that 5.7 million to 8.7 million people died from famine across the Soviet Union.

Ukraine claims that the famine on its territory was "intentional" and has called it a "genocide of the Ukrainian people."​​​​​​​