Comments on: Ukraine: Holodomor

By: Olya

Olya — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 23:59:57 +0000

I am a young student and I am Ukrainian. I have personally never had any ancestors that lived through this tragic horror. I know a lot about the Holodomor because of the awareness in my Ukrainian elementary school and the participation in the Ukrainian community.
I am very glad that Ukrainian voices are finally being heard but then again tamed and muted by the present president of Ukraine, Yanukovich. It is obvious that he does not want to work for the people of Ukraine. By his attempt at reversing the recognition of the Holodomor as genocide, it shows his true colours.
I am very disappointed that there are still many nations that do not recognize it as a genocide but as political brutality (they claim has been done in other countries in the USSR) or as a natural disaster (do people really believe that?)
I still cannot believe that people do not believe this horrific tragedy in Ukraine with all the photos, documentation and survivors. It is time for the world to open its eyes and expose the truth. It is sickening that people believe that the evidence such as photos are fake and photo shopped and that Ukrainian people would want to be pitied and looked down upon on. All that we, meaning Ukrainians, want is to be recognised. This is part of our identity and culture. By the denial of others they are denying us and not accepting us. Everything that happened in the past is now part of the present and the future. The Holodomor formed our identity, cultures, values and who we are. It is a part of us, a part of history. It has to also become part of the world as a whole, part of humanity.
I hope that Russia recognises their past leader’s mistake and brings it up front. I think that people are often mistaken by hating Russians. Ukrainians do not hate Russians but disagree and dislike the attitudes and beliefs that the Russians formed throughout the ages. By Russia recognizing the Holodomor as genocide it does not mean that it is Russia’s fault but the fault of their past leader. And I do not understand what the big problem is with recognizing the Holodomor as genocide. Everyone already knows the truth whether they believe it or not. Russia won’t lose anything or get punished well except maybe the compensation rates for the survivors and the pension. I believe that people have a right to be acknowledged and be recognized.
I believe that by the more brave souls that make attempts to be heard, we will be recognized. We have to start taking action as a community and not wait for others to do it for us.
Sincerely,
Olya

By: David Cottrell

David Cottrell — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:09:05 +0000

Not as a person of Ukrainian heritage but as a friend of Ukraine I have posted at the top of http://www.ukraineorphans.net an announcement about the documentary now being filmed about the Holodomor. You are invited to visit there. You can follow the link to the movie trailer to contact the producer and the producer/director.

All the best, David

By: Daniel (Srebrenica Genocide Blog Editor)

Daniel (Srebrenica Genocide Blog Editor) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 03:32:27 +0000

I have opened a topic @ Holodomor wiki discussion page. Since Russian wikipedian’s might delete my comment, I will copy and paste it here, so everybody can read it:

Holodomor = Genocide : It is sick to learn that Russia attempted to commit genocide over Ukrainian people by blocking food and letting innocent Ukrainian children starve. This reminds me of Serbs blocking convoys of food reaching Srebrenica, while Bosniak Muslim children starved, which ultimately ended in Srebrenica genocide. Holodomor was horrible, and I am convinced Soviet government is to blame. Ukrainian people are nice people and I am sorry for their loss. Recently, Russian extremists vandalized Holodomor exhibit in Moscow… and everything was caught on tape. I wonder, what it will take for the two least civilized countries (Russia and Serbia) to decontaminate themselves from hatred, nationalism, and racism and start believing in universal human rights? Bosniak (talk) 03:29, 29 November 2007 (UTC)

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Holodomor”

By: GYTR

GYTR — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 21:53:41 +0000

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)probably would recognize a famine under a collective farm. Thenew agreements between the UN and other countries should not be used as political by the US or Russia, but this seems to be the apper.

By: Taras

Taras — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 11:04:19 +0000

Thank you so much, Veronica! Velychezne spasybi tobi!

The stories you translated are a piece of history untaught for almost six decades.

They were whispered and suppressed. They still haven’t come alive to millions of Ukrainians, many of them the sons and daughters of Holodomor survivors.

My grandfather was on the verge of starving at Izyum, Kharkivska Oblast. Had his brother, who worked at the railroad station and received food rations, not saved him, I wouldn’t have been born.

We owe it to the victims, we owe it to the survivors, we owe it to ourselves, and we owe it to our future generations to always remember this terrible tragedy and to never repeat it again.

By: Daniel (Srebrenica Genocide Blog Editor)

Daniel (Srebrenica Genocide Blog Editor) — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 05:49:32 +0000

Most modern historians agree that the famine was caused by the policies of the communist government of the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin, rather than by natural causes. There is no doubt in my mind that communists wanted to destroy Ukrainian people through policies of famine. I am glad that Ukrainian people finally have their independent state so they can celebrate their unique culture, language, and history without oppression and interference from Moscow. Thank you for letting the world know about this horrible event in human history.

Respectfully,

Daniel