President Volodomor Zelensky marked Holodomor Remembrance Day on Nov. 23, honoring the victims of the Soviet man-made famine that killed an estimated three to five million Ukrainians.
The Holodomor occurred from 1932 to 1933 under Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin’s rule. The Ukrainian government has called on the international community to recognize it as a genocide against the Ukrainian people.
On Holodomor Remembrance Day, Ukrainians traditionally light a candle at 4 p.m. and place it in their window to honor the memories of those who perished in the famine.
“They wanted to destroy us. To kill us. To subjugate us. They failed. They wanted to hide the truth and silence the terrible crimes forever. They failed,” Zelensky wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“They wanted to confuse us, mislead us, make us doubt—to forget, and in forgetting, to forgive. They failed.”
Several of Ukraine’s European allies also marked Holodomor Remembrance Day.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola wrote that “Europe joins the people of Ukraine to remember and pay tribute (to the victims).”
“Russia continues what it started 91 years ago – trying to erase the Ukrainian nation from the Earth. Then via manmade famine, today with rockets, missiles, bombs, murders, rape, attacks on ports, energy facilities,” Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze wrote, noting that Latvia recognized the Holodomor as a genocide in 2008.
Holodomor: Soviet Union’s man-made famine in Ukraine
Editor’s Note: This article was updated to reflect international recognition of the Holodomor.This article contains graphic photos and descriptions. The Holodomor, which means “murder by starvation” in Ukrainian, is widely considered to be one of Ukraine’s most devastating national tragedies. A m…
