House of Commons recognises Holodomor as a genocide

The Holodomor, also known as the Great Famine of 1932–1933, was acknowledged as a genocide of the Ukrainian people by the U.K. House of Commons. In the name of his nation, the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament expressed his gratitude.

The lower house of the British Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution on the artificially induced famine by Soviet authorities in 1932-1933. It was proposed by Conservative Party MP Pauline Latham, who stressed that the famine in Ukraine was caused by the forced seizure of Ukrainian peasants’ crops.

She also drew attention to the similarities with current events, where Russia is stealing Ukrainian grain from occupied territories of Ukraine, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda.

“Therefore, we must assure the Ukrainian authorities and the international community that the United Kingdom - or at least the British Parliament - will not ignore war crimes and crimes against humanity,” said Latham.

In response to the decision of British parliamentarians, Chairman of the Ukrainian Supreme Council Ruslan Stefanchuk wrote on social media, “Thanks to the authors of this initiative, Pauline Latham and Stuart McDonald. This decision aims to restore historical justice and remind the world that such atrocities should never be repeated.”

🇬🇧 @HouseofCommons recognised the Holodomor of 1932-33 as genocide of the Ukrainian people. Thanks to the authors, @Pauline_Latham, @StewartMcDonald.

This decision is about restoring historical justice and reminding the world that such crimes must never happen again.

— Ruslan Stefanchuk (@r_stefanchuk) May 25, 2023

According to historians, the famine in Ukraine claimed the lives of at least 3.5 million people. The Holodomor remains etched in the memory of Ukrainians as a disaster caused by a deliberate decision by the Kremlin to annihilate their nation.

The European Parliament also declared the Holodomor a genocide in December of last year. Parliaments in Iceland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Ireland, France, and Romania, among others, have taken similar steps. The Polish parliament did so in 2006.