December 9, 2022
Cited article by Deutsche Welle News
HRRC supports the findings of Germany's parliament, along with the other states who recognize the Holodomor Famine as genocide. Tactics that are used to oppress the current way of life, language, culture, and disrupt the political identity of a group of people or country are tantamount to genocide and must be recognized as such.
Article Summary
In late November, Germany declared the starvation of millions of Ukrainians from 1932-1933 by Soviet Union Premier, Joseph Stalin, as a genocide. According to the accompanying press release from Germany's parliament, the Soviet leadership used famine tactics to oppress the Ukrainian way of life, language, and culture, in its control of the local farmers. The Social Democrats, Greens, and the Free Democrats, as well as the main opposition Christian Democrats (CDU) and allied conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), all voted in favor of the declaration.
In official statements, Green Party lawmaker Robin Wagener said the historical use of hunger to kill Ukrainians and the disruption of the political identity of Ukraine as a whole shows remarkable similarities to what is occurring today. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zalenskyy previously stated, "Once they wanted to destroy us with hunger, now, with darkness and cold". Throughout the war in Ukraine, Russia has targeted key infrastructure points, and airstrikes have killed civilians and disrupted power across Ukraine.
Germany is added to the list of 16 states (besides Ukraine) that view the Holodomor Famine as a form of genocide, including: Australia, Ecuador, Estonia, Canada, Colombia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, the United States and the Vatican.