November 22 — Holodomor Remembrance Day
22/11/25, 03:00
On November 22, Ukrainians honor the memory of the millions who died during the Holodomor of 1932–1933 — a crime deliberately engineered by the Stalinist regime to suppress the Ukrainian nation.
On this day, candles are lit in windows across Ukraine, and society pauses to recall the shattered lives and the dignity that survived. This tragedy left a deep imprint on Ukrainian collective memory and became a defining element of national consciousness.
The Holodomor was the result of a system of total control: forced grain requisitions, complete confiscation of harvests, blockades of villages, bans on travel, inflated quotas, and punitive sanctions. Ukrainians were deprived of their own bread, their movement, and their right to live. The mechanism was brutally simple — famine used as a political weapon against a people striving for cultural and political self-determination.
Millions of lives were lost. Central and eastern Ukraine became territories of silent grief. Family memories survived in fragments — whispered stories, short notes, old notebooks. Through these voices, contemporary understanding of the tragedy has taken shape.
Japan also experienced periods of strict state control over food and daily life during the years of militarization. This experience helps illuminate the pain of a society subjected to systemic pressure. The scale in Ukraine was different, but the underlying mechanism was similar — repression of freedom and people’s helplessness before state coercion.
Today, this history takes on new meaning. Ukraine again confronts aggression rooted in the same imperial tradition that once used famine as a weapon. The attempt to destroy Ukrainian identity, culture, and the right to live did not remain in the past — it continues in another form, through war, occupation, and destruction. The memory of the Holodomor reveals the historical continuity and the nature of today’s threat.
The Holodomor taught Ukrainians to value freedom of thought, truthful information, self-governance, and human dignity. These lessons form the basis of national resilience and protect society from the return of authoritarian crimes.
Holodomor Remembrance Day creates a space for shared mourning, strength, and reflection. The culture of memory unites generations, reinforces the value of human life, and supports Ukrainians in defending their right to a future — now and always.
