THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE GENOCIDE IN UKRAINE AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

The 20th century was one of the most dramatic in the history of Ukraine. Тhe Famine of 1932-33 took the lives of 7 million people during peacetime. In 2016, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko officially called for the Holodomor to be acknowledged as genocide orchestrated by the Soviet Union, which, for decades, Soviet rule prevented Ukraine from doing. Now, memorials stand all over the world that honour the victims and officially acknowledge the Holodomor. Тhe Great Famine of 1932-1933 was an act of genocide against the Ukrainian people as a political nation that also included other ethnicities. “Today, as a political nation, we are taking the initial steps needed to pave the way for historical justice, social purification and moral healing”, said to SBS Ukrainian Stefan Romaniw, OAM, who is the Chairman of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations and Secretary-General of the Ukrainian World Congress. The Holodomor is a horrifying event in Ukraine’s history made all the more tragic by the fact it remains relatively unknown – a famine whose death toll is placed between 7–10 million. “The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO) calls upon the Australian and international communities to pay their respects and commemorate the Holodomor anniversary”, Stefan Romaniw OAM, Chairman of the AFUO and General Secretary of the Ukrainian World Congress said today. “We call on all Australians to light a candle of remembrance on Saturday November 25, International Day of Remembrance in memory of the victims of the Holodomor” Mr Romaniw said. Concealed behind the iron curtain of the USSR for decades, the Holodomor only came to light on an international level following Ukraine’s declaration of independence in 1991. The goal of the famine was to break the spirit of Ukrainian farmers and force them into collectivisation. Despite the impressive harvest 83 years ago, millions of Ukrainians perished from starvation as their grain was forcibly removed as well as any food they had in their homes. The scars still run deep. With east Ukraine’s population wiped out, the ethnic makeup was forever changed, the effects of which are painfully apparent as war rages on today. Australian-Ukrainian survivors have recalled their experiences, which can be viewed here. To continue raising awareness internationally, with intention to bring a motion to the U.N, the Circle of Families is being formed. This group involves survivors descendants, working to represent the voice of family members who can no longer speak for themselves. Their motto is “We will not let the world forget”. Ukrainian communities across the globe vow not to forget and continue to honour the victims of the Holodomor each year on the fourth Saturday in November.

Source: SBS Ukrainian