The end of November, in particular its last Saturday, is associated by Ukrainians with a solemn date – Holodomor Remembrance Day. On November 28, 2020 Ukraine commemorates the 87th Anniversary of Holodomor-Genocide.

This day, Ukrainians all over the world light a symbolic candle of remembrance, honoring the victims of the most horrible tragedy in the history of Ukraine, which was cynically planned and implemented by the Stalin’s criminal regime in 1932-1933.

The Holodomor statistic is terrible. According to various estimates, the number of victims of the Holodomor-Genocide is between 7 and 10 million Ukrainians. In June 1933, which took the most lives, about 34,560 people were dying of starvation every day, 1,440 people every hour, 24 people every minute.

They died not because of natural disaster, war, or epidemic, but because of the outrageous cruelty of the totalitarian regime, which deliberately doomed them to extinction. In such a cynical way the political system of Stalinism tried to undermine the cornerstone of the freedom-loving Ukrainian nation, to destroy our spiritual culture and unique ethnic identity.

The Soviet regime denied there had been a famine, and any mention of it was forbidden. For that reason, the USSR refused to accept assistance for starving people, which was offered by numerous non-governmental organizations, including foreign Ukrainian communities and the International Committee of the Red Cross. As a result, a horrific crime committed in the very heart of Europe had been written out from world history for decades and had not received global condemnation.

During the Holodomor, the Soviet Union imposed an information blockade, forbidding journalists and foreigners from traveling to affected areas. However, there were journalists who told the truth. There were also reports by ambassadors and diplomats who worked in Ukraine at that time and saw what was really happening there.

The genocidal murder of millions of Ukrainians hit the nation for decades. As part of the repressive policy against the Ukrainian people, the Soviet regime also carried out a Russification, suppressing the Ukrainian language and culture.

With the restoration of Ukraine's Independence, the prohibition to talk about the Holodomor was removed. And it is the duty of our generation to bring the unknown tragedy of the Holodomor-Genocide of 1932-1933 to the memory, consciousness, and conscience of mankind.

We believe it is vital to ensure that this tragedy is not forgotten as it is the best safeguard against history repeating itself. The international community must heed the lessons of history for the sake of freedom, peace and global security.