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With the ongoing international crisis in Ukraine, I believe it is important to draw attention to an underrepresented era of Ukrainian history, the Holodomor. The Holodomor was an intentional famine perpetrated by the Soviet Union against the Ukrainian people in 1932-1933. Josef Stalin’s regime feared the influence of Ukrainian nationalism and sought to silence the Ukrainian people through starvation.
The implementation of devastating agricultural policies, including collectivization, deprived much of the Ukrainian population of the right to food. Ukrainians were prohibited from leaving the country in search of food, emergency food reserves were intentionally kept from entering Ukraine and Ukrainian food supplies were sold to global markets instead of feeding the populace. As a result, more than 7 million Ukrainians perished due to starvation.
International recognition of the tragic events of the Holodomor remains limited with only 16 countries and 22 states recognizing the Holodomor as a genocide. I urge readers to ask their state representative to put forth legislation that condemns and recognizes the Holodomor as an act of genocide. Mainers must stand in solidarity with Ukrainians, Ukrainian-Americans and their descendants in condemning this crime against humanity.
Dustin Alward
Mapleton