Remembrance Day for the Victims of the Holodomor in Ukraine
On Saturday, November 22, Ukraine commemorates the victims of the Holodomor.
This day is observed annually on the fourth Saturday of November based on presidential decrees issued in 1998 and 2007.
Throughout the 20th century, Ukrainians experienced three Holodomors: 1921-1923, 1932-1933, and the famine of 1946-1947. The most devastating was the famine of 1932-1933, recognized as a genocide of the Ukrainian people orchestrated by the Stalinist regime.
The Holodomor was preceded by forced collectivization of agriculture, "dekulakization" of peasants, grain procurement campaigns, and mass terror in rural areas. The famine, which lasted for 22 months, was a deliberate and systematic policy of the Stalinist government aimed at subduing the Ukrainian peasantry and destroying their independent farms.
After widespread repression against the intelligentsia and clergy, it was the peasants who became the primary victims of the regime.
Several key events led to the mass famine, including the Central Committee's resolution on November 18, 1932, which imposed penalties for failing to meet grain procurement quotas, including confiscating food supplies.
Just a few days later, on November 26, a decree emphasized that repression was a powerful means to overcome class resistance in grain procurement.
Peasants were stripped of their harvested grain, and subsequent fines and searches left them without food supplies. In December 1932, trade in food products was banned in 82 districts of Ukraine, and supplies of industrial goods ceased. By early 1933, peasants were denied any hope of escape from the famine-stricken Ukraine.
The terror of famine, which lasted for over two years, officially claimed around 4 million lives.
For decades, the topic of the Holodomor was taboo. During the communist regime, discussing the famine was strictly forbidden. Research into this tragedy only began in the late 1980s.
According to the Law on the Holodomor of 1932-1933, adopted on November 28, 2006, the famine is recognized as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian people.
On January 13, 2010, a ruling by the Kyiv Court of Appeals found several Soviet leaders guilty of organizing the Holodomor in Ukraine.
As of now, 29 countries have recognized the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as a genocide against the Ukrainian people, along with several international organizations.
Today, over 90 years after the tragedy, Russia continues to attempt to erase Ukraine from the world map, seeking to destroy the Ukrainian people, culture, language, and history.
Traditionally, on this day, Ukrainians light candles in their homes in memory of those who perished due to the man-made famine. Additionally, at 4:00 PM, a nationwide moment of silence will be observed, and memorial events will take place across the country.
