The guest editorial below is adapted from remarks by Andriy Futey, president of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, at the Holodomor commemoration held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York on Saturday, November 17.
It has become our tradition to gather here each year, within the sacred walls of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, to pray for and honor the memory of the millions of innocent victims lost in the Holodomor-Genocide of 1932-1933. What occurred 85 years ago in Ukraine was evil in its design and brutal in its methods. Through a carefully orchestrated mass collectivization effort, the Soviet regime imposed unreachable grain quotas upon the Ukrainian people, confiscated all foodstuffs and even sealed Ukraine’s borders, trapping Ukrainians within their own country, with no food and no chance of escape. Not only were the borders of Ukraine blockaded, but, tellingly so, were the heavily Ukrainian populated regions of Russia itself. No people out. No food in.
This barbarous act was kept hidden from the world and is one of the largest genocides of the 20th century. And thus, in the very heart of Europe, in a country that boasts some of the world’s most fertile soil and has often been referred to as the “Breadbasket of Europe,” at the height of the Famine in 1933, Ukrainians were dying at the rate of 25,000 per day. This was a deliberate, premeditated effort by the brutal Communist regime of Joseph Stalin to subjugate an entire nation.
Who better to classify the Holodomor as a genocide than Raphael Lemkin, the Polish-American-Jewish lawyer, educated in Lviv, Ukraine, who coined the word “genocide” and spent his life working to develop the international law against such crimes. Lemkin applied the concept of genocide to the tragic events in Ukraine in 1932-1933. He stated: “What I want to speak about is perhaps the classic example of Soviet genocide, the longest and broadest experiment in Russification – the destruction of the Ukrainian nation… the attack has manifested a systematic pattern, with the whole process repeated again and again to meet fresh outbursts of national spirit. The first blow is aimed at the intelligentsia, the national brain, so as to paralyze the rest of the body… along with this… was an offensive against the churches, priests and hierarchy, the soul of Ukraine. The third prong of the Soviet plan was aimed at the farmers, the large mass of independent peasants who are the repository of the tradition, folklore and music, the national language and literature, the national spirit of Ukraine. The weapon used against this body is perhaps the most terrible of all – starvation. This is not simply a case of mass murder. It is a case of genocide, of destruction, not of individuals only, but of a culture and a nation.”
Today, as we gather to mourn, we must also recommit ourselves to exposing the whole truth about the Holodomor. It is our solemn responsibility to pass the torch to the next generation, as they must continue to stand firm in honoring the millions who needlessly suffered at the hands of a dictator, and help to educate the world – especially now as we watch with horror the rise of modern dictators and tyrannical regimes around the world. The Holodomor cannot remain merely a Ukrainian issue – it must be a global one, so that such tragedies do not reoccur.
Ukrainians around the world have advocated for their governments to recognize the genocide of the Ukrainian nation. Here in the U.S., under the leadership of the UCCA and our many organizations and local communities, working together with the Embassy of Ukraine, we have successfully advocated for passage of a Senate Resolution recognizing that “Joseph Stalin and those around him committed genocide against the Ukrainians in 1932-1933.” A companion resolution has been introduced in the House of Representatives and has passed its Foreign Affairs Committee. Nineteen states have issued proclamations or passed resolutions recognizing the Holodomor as a genocide against the Ukrainian nation.
It is our solemn responsibility to serve as the voice of the millions of innocents who were silenced and can no longer speak of their tortures. And it is our solemn responsibility to remember, so that the world never forgets.
The Holodomor is but one example of Russia’s ongoing campaign to enslave Ukraine. As we mark the 85th anniversary of Ukraine’s Genocide of 1932-1933, we also commemorate the fifth anniversary of Ukraine’s “Revolution of Dignity” – a glaring reminder that Russian aggression against Ukraine in violation of international law and the Budapest Memorandum of 1994 continues into the present. The Ukrainian people’s endurance during the horrors of the Holodomor, their bravery during the Maidan, and their steadfast fortitude during the present-day struggle in Crimea and eastern Ukraine are all testimonies of the commitment of the Ukrainian people to live with dignity in a democratic and sovereign nation.
As Russia continues to whitewash its crimes, including its most recent blatant acts of aggression against Ukraine, we must uphold the principles of honor and truth. Because truth, and an informed public, are the linchpins of a free society, ensuring that despotism does not triumph over democracy.
To those survivors who were fortunate enough to survive Ukraine’s genocide: we thank the Lord for sparing your lives. And to the millions of innocent victims who perished as a result of Stalin’s brutal genocide: may you rest in peace. You will always be remembered and honored. Vichnaya pamiat!