Early Silence and Historical Denial
For decades after 1933, the Soviet Union insisted that no famine had taken place, dismissing all evidence as “anti-Soviet propaganda.” Official archives remained closed, survivors were silenced by fear of reprisal, and even academic discussion of the Holodomor was banned. As a result, the famine was absent from international discourse until diaspora communities began publicizing their memories.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Ukrainian immigrants in North America organized commemorations, published memoirs, and pressured governments to acknowledge the famine. Still, without access to Soviet archives, many scholars hesitated to label it genocide.
Scholarly Contributions and the Genocide Framework
The turning point came in the 1980s with historians like Robert Conquest, whose book Harvest of Sorrow (1986) argued that the famine was deliberately engineered to break Ukrainian resistance. He framed it within the UN Genocide Convention’s definition: the intentional destruction, in whole or in part, of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.
Later, scholars such as Anne Applebaum (Red Famine, 2017) deepened this analysis, drawing on newly available archives after Ukraine’s independence. Applebaum and others emphasize that Stalin specifically targeted Ukraine with requisition quotas, blacklists, and blockades, turning hunger into a weapon of national suppression.
Legal and Political Recognition in Ukraine
Following independence in 1991, Ukraine began officially acknowledging the Holodomor as genocide. The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) passed laws recognizing it in 2006, making public denial illegal in some contexts. Annual Holodomor Remembrance Day was established on the fourth Saturday of November.
Memorials and museums were also built, including the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide in Kyiv, which serves as a research and education center as well as a memorial site.
International Recognition
Over the past three decades, dozens of countries and international bodies have recognized the Holodomor as genocide:
- Canada (2008): Parliament recognized the Holodomor as genocide, influenced by Canada’s strong Ukrainian diaspora.
- United States (2018): Congress passed resolutions affirming recognition of the Holodomor as genocide.
- European Parliament (2008, 2022): Declared the famine a crime against humanity and later moved toward genocide recognition amid Russia’s renewed aggression.
- Other countries: Poland, Australia, the Baltic states, and many others have issued official recognition.
As of today, more than 20 countries and several international organizations classify the Holodomor as genocide.
Ongoing Debates and Opposition
Despite broadening recognition, some governments and scholars stop short of using the genocide label. Russia, as the Soviet Union’s successor state, continues to deny that the famine was intentional, framing it as part of a broader Soviet food crisis.
Other nations, wary of straining relations with Moscow, use softer terms such as “crime against humanity” or “tragedy.” Critics argue that these positions are politically motivated rather than based on evidence.
The United Nations has not formally recognized the Holodomor as genocide, partly because of geopolitical divisions among member states. However, the debate continues in academic, legal, and diplomatic forums.
Why the Genocide Label Matters
For Ukrainians, calling the Holodomor genocide is not only a matter of historical accuracy but also of justice. The term recognizes the famine as an intentional act of destruction aimed at the Ukrainian nation. It strengthens the case for remembrance, education, and accountability — especially as modern Ukraine faces renewed aggression from Russia.
Holodomor recognition also reinforces global awareness of how authoritarian regimes use starvation as a weapon of war, making remembrance relevant to current and future humanitarian crises.
