Ukrainian World Congress
The statement below was released by the Ukrainian World Congress on November 23.
On 24 November 2018, Ukrainians around the world will commemorate the 85th anniversary of the Holodomor – the genocide of the Ukrainian people, remembering the past in the hope that greater awareness will contribute to a brighter future.
The Holodomor claimed millions of lives in Ukraine and was one element of the genocidal assault by the Communist regime to destroy the Ukrainian nation. An independent Ukraine would have limited the Soviet Union’s geo-strategic aims to be a Eurasian empire. To force insubordinate Ukraine to remain in the Soviet fold, the Stalinist Communist regime launched attacks on the Ukrainian Church, and the Ukrainian national, cultural and political elites, while against the socioeconomic fabric of the nation – the grain growers of the Ukrainian countryside – it engineered a man-made famine.
A similar fear drives President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin today as, in addition to military arsenal, he uses the tools of disinformation, denial and obfuscation as weapons in the Russian Federation’s hybrid aggression against Ukraine, once again forced to defend its independence and territorial integrity.
This year over 85 days, in a demonstrative show of unity and solidarity, a Candle of Remembrance was lit daily in a different part of the world with the goals of raising awareness and strengthening resolve. The international action “Light a Candle of Remembrance” began in Ukraine, travelled through countries of the diaspora, and will conclude on 24 November 2018 in Kyiv during the state commemoration of the anniversary at the National Museum Holodomor Victims Memorial.
As a poignant reminder of the resulting paralysis of a nation, this international action was dedicated to the children whose dreams and aspirations were so suddenly and brutally interrupted.
Timothy Snyder wrote in his book “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century”: “History does not repeat but it does instruct.”
The international community must heed the lessons of history for the sake of freedom, peace and global security. To protect our common values of democracy, fundamental freedoms and basic human rights, we must act with determination, sharing the story of the past and its similarities to the present.
A better understanding of the past will drive the courage to defend the truth and recognize the Holodomor as genocide of the Ukrainian people at every level of government and the United Nations.
The UWC is grateful to all survivors of the Holodomor who have bravely shared their stories to help the world understand. The UWC appeals to all descendants of victims of the Holodomor to become the voice of family members who can no longer speak for themselves. Together, we must share the story that will both strengthen a nation and brighten the beacon of hope for all peoples who remain oppressed and constantly vigilant of the fragility of freedom.
On Saturday, 24 November 2018, International Holodomor Memorial Day, let us remember every child and woman and man that senselessly perished during this genocide: pause for a moment of silence and prayer at 19:32 local time; light a Candle of Remembrance in your home; participate in commemorative events and memorial services in your local community.
May our memory of the victims of the Holodomor remain eternal.
Ukrainian Canadian Congress
The statement below was released by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress on November 23.
On Saturday, November 24, Canada commemorates Holodomor Memorial Day. In 1932-1933, millions of Ukrainians – children, women and men – were murdered by the Soviet regime of Joseph Stalin. This year, we solemnly commemorate the 85th anniversary of this genocide of the Ukrainian people.
The Ukrainian nation was condemned to death by starvation because of the Ukrainian people’s aspiration for independence, and their desire to maintain their culture and traditions and speak their language.
In 1932-1933, the borders of Ukraine were sealed, all grain and food were confiscated, and the Ukrainian people starved. Those who resisted were executed or sent to hard labor in the Gulag. To break the resistance of the Ukrainian people to Soviet rule, the totalitarian Communist regime turned food into a weapon. In one of history’s greatest crimes, the Soviet regime committed genocide against a nation of grain growers who sought to live free on their own land.
Despite the Soviet attempts to destroy the Ukrainian nation, the Ukrainian people persevered and, decades later, won their independence.
Today, that independence is again under threat from Russia’s tyranny. The people of Ukraine are once more forced to defend their homeland against Russian imperialism. In Ukraine’s east, Russia wages a brutal war of aggression, seeking again to subjugate Ukraine to Moscow’s rule. A generation of Ukrainians again takes up arms in courageous defense of their freedom and right to self-determination. With God’s help, they will be victorious.
On Holodomor Memorial Day, we gather in our communities to pay tribute to the memory of the millions of innocent victims of the Holodomor Famine-Genocide 1932-1933. We honor the survivors of the Holodomor, whose courage in sharing their story has educated the world about this genocide. We strengthen our commitment to ensuring that crimes such as the Holodomor never happen again. And we pray that peace soon returns to Ukraine.
May the memory of the victims be eternal!
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
The prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, issued the following statement on November 24.
Today, we join Ukrainians here in Canada and around the world to remember the millions of innocent people who suffered at the hands of a totalitarian Soviet regime during the Holodomor.
Between 1932 and 1933, the regime used starvation as a weapon, seizing farms and crops across Ukraine. Millions of Ukrainians died from hunger. Countless others lost their lives in mass arrests, deportations and executions.
The Holodomor was a deliberate attempt – part of a systematic genocide – to crush the spirit and identity of the Ukrainian people. It failed. Ukrainians endured and, after decades of Soviet rule, Ukraine won its independence in 1991.
For decades, the atrocities of the Holodomor were largely only known to its victims and those who orchestrated it. We must make sure the memories of those who suffered during the Holodomor live on, and that such horrors never happen again.
On this solemn anniversary, I encourage all Canadians to remember the victims of the Holodomor, and to honor the immense role that people of Ukrainian heritage have played in the building of our country.
Canada continues to stand with the people of Ukraine in their efforts to protect and preserve their sovereignty. We reaffirm our support for Ukraine’s government to protect its territorial integrity and its ongoing reform efforts to build a more secure, prosperous future for its citizens.
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland
Global Affairs Canada on November 24 released this statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland.
Today, we join Ukrainians in Canada and around the world in remembering the murder and suffering inflicted on millions of Ukrainians by the totalitarian Soviet regime during the Holodomor.
In 1932 and 1933, millions of people were killed by starvation and execution while countless others were caught up in mass arrests and deportations. This was a deliberate genocide, designed to break the will of the Ukrainian nation. What’s worse, it was denied by its perpetrators in Moscow, Russia.
This attempt to destroy the Ukrainian spirit failed. Today and all days, we remember this horrific chapter in human history and honor the memory of the victims.
Canada will always stand with Ukraine against attempts to suppress its right to self-determination, including by Russia, and defend the people of Ukraine, its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Vichnaya Pamiat.
U.S. Department of State
The U.S. Department of State released the following press statement, which was delivered by Heather Nauert, department spokesperson, on November 23.
This month we join Ukrainians around the world in marking the 85th anniversary of the Holodomor, when millions of innocent Ukrainians were deliberately starved to death by the regime of Joseph Stalin. The Soviet Union’s barbaric seizure of Ukrainian land and crops was undertaken with the deliberate political goal of subjugating the Ukrainian people and nation. This catastrophic man-made famine was one of the most atrocious acts of the 20th century and a brutal reminder of the crimes of communism.
Today, Ukrainians are once again dying as a result of Russia attempts to destroy the identity and Western aspirations of the people of Ukraine. Russia’s ongoing aggression in eastern Ukraine has resulted in more than 10,000 deaths. However, Russia will not vanquish the resilient Ukrainian spirit, nor dampen Ukrainians’ desire for a better future.
As we remember the Holodomor’s millions of innocent victims, we reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the Ukrainian people’s right to chart their own course.