By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Ukrainian leaders commemorated the victims of the 1932-33 Holodomor famine when millions starved to death in a ceremony that was overshadowed by fresh concerns about protecting grain supplies after unprecedented drone attacks by Russia.
With their nation at war and winter setting in, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena burned candles near the statue of a frail young girl holding some wheat.
They gathered at the 90th anniversary of the Stalin-era famine, the Holodomor, which roughly translates as “death by hunger.”
In 1932, when Ukraine was part of the Russia-led Soviet Union, then-Soviet ruler Joseph Stalin dispatched police to seize all grain and livestock from newly collectivized Ukrainian farms. Confiscated items even included the seed needed to plant the next crop.
As a result, millions of Ukrainian peasants starved to death in the following months from what historians have called “clearly premeditated mass murder.”
Ninety years later, Ukrainian President Zelensky accuses Moscow of similar tactics after firing scores of drones over the weekend in which several Ukrainians were injured. They were described as the worst drone attacks since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year.
GRAIN FROM UKRAINE
At a ‘Grain from Ukraine’ summit held in parallel with the Holodomor commemoration, Zelensky urged allies to help him better protect Ukrainian food supplies against Russian attacks, as his nation is a breadbasket of the world.
“Russia’s aggression in the Black Sea has| created the greatest threat to global stability in terms of food supplies in decades,” he said about the need for better air defenses. “Using hunger as a weapon is an element of the policy of genocide. Any state that infringes on this must be held accountable for it.”
Pope Francis also expressed concern and compared Russia’s war in Ukraine to what he called the “terrible genocide” of the Stalin era. He said Ukrainians were now suffering from the “martyrdom of aggression.”
Francis often encouraged prayers and peace for this troubled land.
And there was some hope on Sunday. The harvest in Ukraine was forecast to be 10 percent higher than last year. Ukraine says it only needs a quarter of the crops for its domestic consumption.
That’s why the Grain from Ukraine summit raised about $100 million to purchase Ukrainian grain for the countries that need it most. Italy and Lithuania are among the major donors, contributing 4 million euros ($4.3 million) to the humanitarian food program.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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