Grain From Ukraine Initiative Launched on 90th Anniversary of The Holodomor
Holodomor means death by hunger in Ukrainian
Day 276 (26 November)
Today is the 90th anniversary of Holodomor, and a Remembrance Day is held for the 7-10 million Ukrainians who died at the hands of Stalin from 1932-1933. Holodomor means ‘death by hunger’ as Ukrainians were forced to starve as the Soviet Union forced the Ukrainians to starve in order to coerce them to stop being an independent country and to be part of the Soviet Union. It is often referred to as ‘the Great Famine’, and is considered an act of genocide as the aim was to eliminate all Ukrainians who refused to become part of the Communist Party and to abide by their rules.
https://holodomormuseum.org.ua/en/holodomor-remembrance-day/
Many consider the current invasion to be Holodomor 2.0 where the Russians are starving the Ukrainians of heat, and power. On this day, Ukraine launched the ‘Grain from Ukraine’ initiative, where countries will provide financial aid to assist Ukraine in selling their grain exports. Around $150 million has been raised, and the aim is to subside the exports of grain to poor countries like Sudan. Thus, by buying grain from Ukrainian producers, it will help the Ukrainian economy and to feed the world. More than 24 countries, NGOs, and other organisations met today in a summit to launch the initiative.
What happened during Holodomor? It’s no surprise that Russia does not recognise this, but saw it as a way of reuniting ‘one people’ —the same rhetoric that Putin is using.
The Holodomor was a man-made famine that Stalin created in 1932. The Ukrainian peasants resisted the Russian Communist Party, as did Ukrainian intellectuals who sought independence for Ukraine. Stalin decided to crush both by starving the people into submission. Those who opposed the Soviet policies were intimidated, threaten, and arrested—very similar to the Russians torturing Ukrainians who resist them when they occupied areas such as Bucha and Kherson. There were protests and the only way to suppress the Ukrainians was to take away their land and their food.
Ukraine was an independent country from 1917-1921, until the Red Army took control. Those who rejected Stalin’s rule were imprisoned or executed as the Russians intimidated and terrorised the Ukrainians. People who supported Ukraine’s independence were rounded up, just as officials and supporters of Ukraine have been rounded up during this invasion. Today, many who don’t support Russia have remained silent to stay alive, and have been able to admit it once they were liberated. That is the key to survival.
Farmers who resisted had their property confiscated, and rich farmers were thrown out and deported. This is the same as the Communists in China who took land from the wealthy, and those who had small holdings were forced to work for the State and given impossible quotas to fulfil. Failure to meet the quotas led to no pay, fines and land being confiscated. The aim was to control the people and to force them into poverty and to acquire the land by whatever means they could.
Stalin created laws that banned farmers from leaving, and those caught were returned and anyone caught stealing grain could be executed. The suppression of the Ukrainians led to mass starvation as the State controlled all the food. Soldiers were also sent to homes to take all foodstuffs away and to confiscate them. Thus people starved, and the Russians controlled the media which meant western media outlets were forbidden to report on the activities of the State. Those that did report on the famine, were murdered in mysterious circumstances, a little like people falling out of windows these days.
This has been suppressed for 50 years, and in 2019, the Vatican and 16 other countries recognised the Holodomor as an act of genocide including the US. Even the United Nations made a statement on the Holodomor and recognised it as an act of genocide, even though the term ‘genocide’ had not been introduced until 1948:
The delegations of Albania, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America do solemnly declare,
Guided by the principles, embodied in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as in other relevant international instruments in the field of human rights that affirm the right to life, liberty and security of person,
Reaffirming the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which, in particular, proclaimed that everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food,
Being aware that the Great Famine of 1932-1933 in Ukraine (Holodomor) took millions of innocent lives,
Being convinced that the tragedy of the Holodomor should be a reminder for present and future generations to unconditionally respect human rights, including the right to life in order to prevent the repetition of such tragedies,
Recalling in this regard the joint statement on the seventieth anniversary of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine of 7 November 2003 (A/C.3/58/9 and Add.1), recognizing the Holodomor as the national tragedy of the Ukrainian people, caused by the cruel actions and policies of the totalitarian regime, the declaration on the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine of 16 December 2008 (A/63/613 and Annex) and the joint statement on the eightieth anniversary of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine of 9 December 2013 (A/68/655 and Annex), commemorating the memory of victims of the Holodomor,
Recalling the resolution on remembrance of victims of the Great Famine (Holodomor) in Ukraine 1932-1933, adopted on 1 November 2007 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
Recognizing the importance of raising public awareness on the tragic events in the history of mankind and of strengthening the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for the prevention of humanitarian tragedies in the future,
1. Commemorate the memory of the victims of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine, a man-made deadly famine that took the lives of millions of Ukrainians, including persons of other nationalities living in Ukraine at that time;
2. Condemn the cruel policies pursued by the Stalinist regime, such as forced collectivization and food requisition, which led to the death of a significant proportion of the Ukrainian people;
3. Pay tribute to the memory of millions of persons of other nationalities who died of starvation and political repression in other parts of the former Soviet Union;
4. Welcome efforts of Governments to open their archives on the events of 1932-1933 to reveal the full truth of this tragedy, and to raise public awareness both at national and international levels so that the historical truth is revealed and the causes and consequences are comprehended;
5. Emphasize that the memories of past horrors and atrocities should reinforce the efforts of the international community to ensure unconditional observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms throughout the world;
6. Welcome the initiative of Ukraine on organizing the commemorations on the occasion of the 85th anniversary of the Holodomor;
7. Welcome the efforts of the Member States who recognized the Great Famine of 1932-1933 in Ukraine (Holodomor) as a man-made deadly famine and urge the Member States to promote awareness about the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine as a tragic page in global history.
https://press.un.org/en/2008/081030_Ukraine.doc.htm
Visits from the Prime Ministers of Poland and Lithuania both honoured Holodomor, and also supported the ‘Grain from Ukraine’ initiative.
Today, there has been another prisoner swap, with 12 Ukrainians that were combination of Marines, National Guards, Border Guards, and three civilians.
NATO continues to support Ukraine, but states that they will only supply non-lethal weapons so as not to escalate the war. Stoltenberg believes that wars are won on negotiations, and by supporting Ukraine it gives them a better hand at the negotiating table. Wars are won when the enemy and aggressor are defeated, and when they concede. That happens when they run out of soldiers and weapons.
NATO reiterates that it not training Ukrainian soldiers or supplying weapons either, and the individual countries are offering both but not under the umbrella of NATO.
Regarding Poland wishing to give Ukraine the Patriot missiles that Germany offered, NATO has said that it is up to the US who manufactured the Patriot system and does not need to approve the action. NATO only decides on NATO issued weapons to all the members, and not when one member chooses to supply equipment to a third party. Only permission from the point of origin (end user agreements) is required. Will the US agree, or will they decline on the grounds of escalation? That will be the test for them. However, Russia may not see things in this way, and still consider it an act of escalation by NATO.
The two day old baby who died from a Russian missile attack has been named as Serhii. When you see photos and put a name to the victims it brings home how brutal the Russians have been. Bombing a maternity hospital is despicable, and it seems to be an act of genocide by wiping out the generations of Ukrainians so that they cannot survive.
Russian propaganda continues where Russian claims that they are defending the country from NATO (even though there has never been any threat from NATO as it is a defensive alliance and doesn’t attack), and claims that Russia tried to negotiate with NATO but offers no dates or details of the alleged negations. It is this propaganda that has convinced some Russians that they have a right to attack Ukraine.