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Ukrainian Community in North Ayrshire
HOLODOMOR – DEATH BY HUNGER
The Genocide of Ukrainians in 1932–1933
“People died in silence. No one cried anymore.”
From a survivor’s testimony
The History of Holodomor
1932–1933: A Genocide Through Starvation
The Holodomor — meaning “death by hunger” — was a man-made famine that killed millions of Ukrainians in 1932–1933.
It was not caused by nature, but by Soviet policies under Stalin, aimed at crushing Ukrainian identity and resistance.
In Ukraine, one of the world’s most fertile lands, families starved while grain was confiscated. Entire villages vanished.
The Soviet regime denied the famine, silenced witnesses, and rejected foreign aid.
Today, we remember.
Not only the immense suffering, but the spirit of a people who endured and survived.
Timeline of Tragedy
1928–1929:
The Beginning of Forced Collectivisation
The Soviet government under Stalin begins its campaign to eliminate private farming. Ukrainian peasants are forced to surrender their land and join collective farms. Resistance is widespread — many hide grain, refuse to sign, or even slaughter their livestock rather than give it up.
1930:
Repression Intensifies
Thousands of Ukrainian farmers, known as kurkuls, are labeled "enemies of the people." Mass arrests, deportations to Siberia, and executions follow. Ukraine’s agricultural backbone is being dismantled.
1931:
Grain Quotas Rise, Hope Falls
Despite falling productivity, the Soviet regime imposes higher grain quotas. Families are left with nothing. Authorities begin seizing not just grain, but all food — including potatoes, seeds, and even livestock.
1932:
Hunger Becomes Weapon
A new law, dubbed the “Law of Five Ears of Grain,” makes it a crime to take even a handful of leftover grain from the fields — punishable by death or imprisonment. Villages that fail to meet quotas are blacklisted: cut off from supplies, trade, and aid.
Spring 1933:
The Silent Genocide
The famine reaches its peak.
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17 people die every minute
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1,000 die every hour
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25,000 die every day
Children collapse in schools. Entire families disappear. In some villages, no one is left alive.
1932:
Hunger Becomes Weapon
A new law, dubbed the “Law of Five Ears of Grain,” makes it a crime to take even a handful of leftover grain from the fields — punishable by death or imprisonment. Villages that fail to meet quotas are blacklisted: cut off from supplies, trade, and aid.
1933–1934:
Erasing the Evidence
The Soviet Union denies the famine. Foreign journalists are silenced. Aid is refused. Bodies are removed from the streets at night. Survivors are forbidden from speaking. Meanwhile, Ukraine continues exporting grain to Moscow.
Post-1934:
Silence and Survival
The famine ends, but its trauma remains. Survivors are afraid to speak. For decades, the Holodomor is erased from textbooks, media, and history. Only whispers remain — passed down in exile, hidden in family memory.
Interesting facts
Fact 1: A Law That Killed
In August 1932, the Soviet government passed the “Law of Five Ears of Grain,” which made it a crime to take even leftover grain from the fields.
Penalty: death or 10 years in a labor camp.
Fact 2: Silence as a Weapon
During the Holodomor, Ukraine was sealed off from the world.
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Journalists were banned from rural areas.
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Aid workers were denied entry.
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Survivors were forbidden from leaving their villages.
The Soviet regime worked hard to make sure no one knew — and those who did, stayed silent.
Fact 3: A Forgotten Genocide — Until Now
For decades, the Soviet Union denied the Holodomor ever happened.
It wasn’t until 1991, after Ukraine gained independence, that survivors began to share their stories openly.
Today, over 30 countries recognize the Holodomor as a genocide — a deliberate act of mass starvation.