U.S. Congress Commemorates 85th Anniversary of the Ukrainian Famine

From 1932 – 1933 a famine occurred in the Ukraine. Also known as the Holodomor, the famine resulted in the deaths of millions of Ukrainians. Holodomor means to “kill by starvation” or “death by hunger.” The Holodomor was part of the wider Soviet famine of 1932 – 1933. The number of people who died in the Ukrainian famine is not completely known. The causes of the famine continue to be debated by historians.

Arthur Koestler, a Hungarian-British journalist, described the Holodomor with the following quote: “At every train station there was a crowd of peasants in rags, offering icons and linen in exchange against a loaf of bread. The women were lifting up their infants to the compartment windows – infants pitiful and terrifying with limbs like sticks, puffed bellies, big cadaverous heads lolling on thin necks.”

On November 10, 2003, at a United Nations convention, 25 countries signed a joint statement on the 70th anniversary of the Holodomor. The preamble of this statement reads: “In the former Soviet Union millions of men, women and children fell victims to the cruel actions and policies of the totalitarian regime. The Great Famine of 1932 – 1933 in Ukraine (Holodomor), took from 7 million to 10 million innocent lives and became a national tragedy for the Ukrainian people. In this regard, we note activities in observance of the seventieth anniversary of this Famine, in particular organized by the Government of Ukraine. Honoring the seventieth anniversary of the Ukrainian tragedy, we also commemorate the memory of millions of Russians, Kazakhs and representatives of other nationalities who died of starvation in the Volga River region, Northern Caucasus, Kazakhstan and in other parts of the former Soviet Union, as a result of civil war and forced collectivization, leaving deep scars in the consciousness of future generations.”

On November 13, 2009, which is observed as Ukrainian Holodomor Remembrance Day, former U.S. President Barack Obama said: “Remembering the victims of the man-made catastrophe of Holodomor provides us an opportunity to reflect upon the plight of all those who have suffered the consequences of extremism and tyranny around the world.”

On October 3, 2018 the U.S. Senate passed Resolution 435 which “solemnly remembers the 85th anniversary of the Holodomor of 1932 – 1933 and extends its deepest sympathies to victims, survivors, and families of this tragedy.” On December 11, 2018 the U.S. House of Representatives also passed Resolution 931 which condemned “the systematic violations of human rights, including the freedom of self-determination and freedom of speech, of the Ukrainian people by the Soviet Government.”

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