Ukraine commemorates famine as Russian drones threaten supplies

By Stefan J. Bos

With their nation at war and winter setting in, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena burned candles near the statue of a frail young girl holding some wheat.

They gathered at the 90th anniversary of the Stalin-era famine known as the Holodomor, which roughly translates as "death by hunger."

In 1932, when Ukraine was part of the Russia-led Soviet Union, then-Soviet ruler Joseph Stalin dispatched police to seize all grain and livestock from newly collectivized Ukrainian farms. Confiscated items even included the seed needed to plant the next crop.

As a result, millions of Ukrainian peasants starved to death in the following months from what historians have called "clearly premeditated mass murder."

Ninety years later, Ukrainian President  Zelensky accuses Moscow of similar tactics after firing scores of drones over the weekend in which several Ukrainians were injured. They were described as the worst drone attacks since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year.

Grain from Ukraine

At a 'Grain from Ukraine' summit held in parallel with the Holodomor commemoration, Zelensky urged allies to help him better protect Ukrainian food supplies against Russian attacks, as his nation is a breadbasket of the world.

And there was some hope on Sunday. The harvest in Ukraine was forecast to be 10 percent higher than last year. Ukraine says it only needs a quarter of the crops for its domestic consumption.

That's why the Grain from Ukraine summit raised about $100 million to purchase Ukrainian grain for the countries that need it most. Italy and Lithuania are among the major donors, contributing 4 million euros to the humanitarian food program.