Russian occupiers prepare crackdown on Holodomor commemorations in occupied territories of Ukraine
The Russian occupiers aim to silence the memory of the Holodomor, erasing its historical markers while fostering a culture of surveillance and repression.
Russian authorities in occupied territories of Ukraine are preparing repressions against those commemorating the victims of the Holodomor in Ukraine, according to the Center for National Resistance.
The Holodomor, a famine that struck Soviet Ukraine from 1932 to 1933, stands as one of the most devastating events in Ukrainian history, resulting in the deaths of millions of Ukrainians. The Soviet regime orchestrated this artificial famine under Joseph Stalin, who implemented extreme grain procurement policies that led to widespread starvation. The policies aimed to suppress Ukrainian nationalism and resistance to Soviet control. In 2006, Ukraine officially recognized the Holodomor as genocide against the Ukrainian people. The designation has been supported by numerous countries, although it remains contested by some, notably Russia.
The Ukrainian underground movement has reported that the Russians in occupied territories of Ukraine are urging people to “report” anyone lighting candles or showing other signs of mourning on 23 November, the Holodomor Memorial Day.
“The Russians aim to erase any memory of their crime, which caused the deaths of millions of Ukrainians. This is why, in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, they immediately destroyed all reminders of the tragedy, from monuments to museum exhibits,” said the Center for National Resistance.
The organization also emphasized that these efforts are futile, as Ukrainians value the lives of their compatriots far more than the Russians value their own—a cultural contrast, they highlighted.
Over 30 countries worldwide have recognized the Holodomor as genocide. Following the beginning of Russia’s all-out war in 2022, Brazil, Ireland, Moldova, Germany, and the Czech Republic recognized the Holodomor as genocide.
In 2023, countries such as Bulgaria, Belgium, France, Iceland, the UK, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Wales, the Italian and Spanish Senates, and the Vatican joined in recognition. Recently, Switzerland’s National Council also recognized the 1932–1933 Holodomor in Ukraine as an act of genocide.
Additionally, the European Parliament in 2022 and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in 2023 passed resolutions recognizing the Holodomor as genocide against the Ukrainian people.
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