"The Holodomor aimed to break the nation's spirit." How genocide became a generational trauma for Ukraine.

Learn about the true objective of the Holodomors in Ukraine, the demographic consequences for our people, how collective trauma has impacted future generations, and why it is crucial for the world to recognize the Holodomor as genocide, in this article from RBC-Ukraine.

Every year on the fourth Saturday of November, Ukraine honors the memory of the victims of the Holodomors. In the last century, Ukrainians experienced three major famines – in 1921-23, 1932-1933, and 1946-47.

The exact number of casualties is still difficult for researchers to determine. However, the demographic losses in Ukraine due to the most horrific Holodomor of 1932-1933 are estimated to be around 4.5 million people, including 3.9 million related to excess mortality and an additional 600 thousand due to a birth deficit. These figures are provided by the Institute of Demography and Social Studies named after M. Ptukhа of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Currently, about 30 countries have recognized the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as genocide against the Ukrainian people. The European Parliament did so only in December 2022, and the USA has yet to make a similar declaration, although more than half of the states have recognized the Holodomor at their levels. Meanwhile, Russia, as the successor of the USSR, continues to cynically deny the fact of genocide against Ukrainians.

RBC-Ukraine interviewed historian, curator of Holodomor exhibitions, and senior researcher at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II Yana Grinko about the consequences of the famine, which regions suffered the most, and how it has affected modern generations.

Below is a direct quote from Yana Grinko.

What Was the Purpose of the Holodomors

We have a presidential decree on the National Day of Remembrance of the Holodomors, but there is indeed a difference between the famines of 1921-1923 and 1946-1947 and the Holodomor of 1932-1933. Researchers and lawyers have already proven that the events of the 1930s were acts of genocide against the Ukrainian people, which cannot be said about the 1920s or 1940s.

The purpose of the Holodomor in the 1930s is clear – Moscow committed genocide to maintain control over Soviet Ukraine, aiming to suppress the resistance that began in Ukraine during collectivization and dekulakization. The situations in the 1920s and 1940s were somewhat different, although the tools used were similar.

At the beginning of 1921, the communists downplayed the famine and, when appealing to international organizations for assistance, spoke of the situation in the Russian Volga region, but not about southern Ukraine. However, from 1922 onwards, they allowed international organizations into our territories to provide aid to the starving. This was not the case in the 1930s.

In the 1940s, the famine was also caused by the war, as many military actions took place on Ukrainian territory. This led to the destruction of agriculture, industry, and the economy. However, the main reasons were grain procurement and the associated repressions. The consequences of the famine included mass dystrophy and mortality.

1Historian and curator of Holodomor exhibitions Yana Grinko (photo from personal archive)

How the Holodomors Changed the Demographic Situation

The Holodomor caused significant demographic losses for Ukraine. In criminal case No. 475 regarding the Holodomor, experts estimate at least 4 million deaths in 1932-1933.

Researchers primarily rely on the population censuses of 1926 and 1937. However, these censuses may not provide a complete picture of all migration processes, as many movements occurred, such as evictions, deportations, and relocations. The Soviet Union practiced constant business trips, making it quite challenging to accurately calculate the number of victims.

Furthermore, the 1937 census was classified because it did not meet the expectations of the USSR's top leadership and personally Stalin. The Soviet authorities wanted to demonstrate demographic growth and success of socialism in the country. However, although the census showed an increase in the population of the USSR, it did not reflect the figure that communists anticipated. It also indicated that the population of the Ukrainian republic had decreased.

It's hard to say what the population of Ukraine would be today if not for the Holodomors and other large-scale crimes that occurred subsequently, as well as World War II.

For instance, researcher Andriy Kozytsky states that even 90 years after the Holodomor, the growth of Ukrainians worldwide has increased by only 20%, while in the territories where the genocide took place, it is about 10%. This is a small figure and does not indicate a recovery of the population after the genocide. For example, the Kazakhs, who also experienced a mass famine with signs of genocide, managed to restore their population in 40 years.

2On the fourth Saturday of November, Ukrainians honor the memory of the victims of the Holodomors (photo: Getty Images)

Which Regions Suffered the Most

The Institute of Demography and Social Studies named after M. Ptukhа of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine calculated that the losses from the Holodomor of 1932-1933 were the highest in the central and eastern parts of Ukraine. This line runs from Vinnytsia to Kyiv to Kharkiv.

It is important to remember that the communists concealed the Holodomor. There were many instances where mortality rates were not recorded, and therefore they are not included in the statistics. And when we say that the mentioned regions suffered significant losses, it in no way diminishes the suffering in other areas.

Other factors must also be considered. For example, southern Ukraine is a grain-producing region, where the largest sown areas existed, and a portion of the sown material could remain there. In certain areas, this was used to feed workers, simply to ensure that there were people to perform the work.

In the Chernihiv region, due to the forested terrain, people had a better chance of survival. In the Donetsk region, many people were employed in industrial jobs, and mortality there may have been lower compared to the Kharkiv region.

3Victims of the Holodomor. Kharkiv region, 1933 (photo: Alexander Wienerberger/Wikipedia)

Why It Is Important for the World to Recognize the Holodomor as an Act of Genocide

Recognizing such crimes serves as a moral safeguard that should prevent their recurrence. Given current events, it is evident that the acknowledgment of the Holodomor as genocide has been delayed. Moreover, not all countries, at least in Europe, have done so.

The Holodomor was aimed at the destruction of the Ukrainian nation. And when the world recognizes that the Holodomor was genocide, it acknowledges that the Ukrainian nation existed in the 1930s and that Stalin sought to annihilate it.

Before the full-scale invasion, dictator Putin publicly denied the existence of the Ukrainian nation several times, claiming that Russians and Ukrainians are one people and that Ukraine is Russian territory.

At that time, the world, which would have recognized the Holodomor, should have responded very categorically to these indirect calls for the genocide of Ukrainians. Therefore, the recognition of the Holodomor is essential.

4Communists transporting grain from a collective farm in the Kharkiv region, 1932 (photo: Wikipedia)

Is It Appropriate to Speak of Genetic Memory and Trauma of Generations

The Holodomor inflicted a significant trauma on the Ukrainian people. Subsequent generations began to hide or abandon their identity.

One of the goals of the Holodomor was to break the backbone of the Ukrainian nation, its resistance, and thirst for freedom. In the territories where the Holodomor occurred, there was no open armed resistance afterward.

Researchers Victoria Horbunova and Vitaliy Klinchuk study the transgenerational consequences of the Holodomor. This refers to the inheritance of trauma consequences from parents and grandparents through behaviors. People who survived the Holodomor taught their children how to survive in a totalitarian state. Thus, behavioral patterns were formed, and children grew up with them, eventually teaching their own children.

Even the issue of the Russian language in Ukraine is, to some extent, a consequence of the Holodomor. People in the 1930s understood that to survive in that state, they needed to switch to Russian and agree to this policy, which portrayed everything Ukrainian as backward from the village (at that time, Ukraine was agrarian, and most Ukrainians lived in rural areas), while everything Russian was seen as progressive from the city. Over time, people in Ukraine began to hide their rural origins and