Holodomor: EP recognizes famine in Ukraine at Soviet hands as genocide

In a resolution adopted Thursday with 507 votes in favor, 12 against and 17 abstentions, the European Parliament recognizes the famine inflicted by the Soviet regime in Ukraine between 1932 and 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 organizations that have not yet done so to follow in their footsteps and declare it genocide.

The past, linked to the present

The plenary declares that the whitewashing and glorification of the totalitarian regime of the Soviet regime and the resurrection of the cult of the Soviet dictator Iosif Stalin have turned Russia into a state promoting terrorism. MEPs also condemn the horrible Russian crimes committed once again against the Ukrainian people, such as the targeted destruction of Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure during the winter.

Drawing parallels with the Soviet era, the resolution accuses the current Russian regime of violating Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, attempting to liquidate Ukraine as a nation state and destroying the identity and culture of its people. It also condemns the fact that the current war has created a global food crisis, due to the looting and destruction of Ukrainian grain stores and the continuing difficulties in ensuring the export of grain from Ukraine to the poorest countries.

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

Source: European Parliament