Holodomor: Parliament recognises Soviet starvation of Ukrainians as genocide

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament.

MEPs deplore that 90 years after the Holodomor, Russia is again committing horrific crimes in Ukraine.

 In a resolution adopted on Thursday, the European Parliament recognises the famine inflicted by the Soviet regime on Ukraine in 1932-1933 – known as the Holodomor – as genocide. MEPs strongly condemn these acts, which resulted in the deaths of millions of Ukrainians, and call on all countries and organisations that have not yet done so to follow suit and recognise it as genocide.

The past links to the present

Parliament states that the whitewashing and glorification of the totalitarian Soviet regime and the revival of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin’s cult has led to Russia being today a state sponsor of terrorism. MEPs also condemn the horrific Russian crimes being carried out once again against the Ukrainian people, such as the targeted destruction of Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure during winter.

Drawing links to Soviet times, the resolution accuses the current Russian regime of violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, seeking to liquidate Ukraine as a nation state and destroying the identity and culture of its people. It also condemns the fact that the ongoing war has created a global food crisis, with Russia destroying and looting Ukraine’s grain stores and continuing to make it difficult to ensure Ukrainian grain exports to the most deprived countries in the world.

In addition, MEPs want the EU and third countries to raise awareness about the Holodomor events and other crimes committed by the Soviet totalitarian regime. While condemning the current Russian regime for manipulating historical memory for the purpose of its own survival, Parliament calls on the Russian Federation, as the primary successor of the Soviet Union, to apologise for those crimes.

The resolution will be available in full here. It was adopted by 507 votes in favour, 12 against with 17 abstentions.