Ukrainian community in St. John's gathers to commemorate the Holodomor
CBC
Around 100 people, mostly members of the Ukrainian community, gathered at the Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John's on Saturday to remember the Holodomor.
"Holodomor is the Ukrainian word for death by famine or death by starvation," said Brian Cherwick, the vice president of the Ukrainian Cultural Association of Newfoundland and Labrador.
"In the 1930s, when the Soviet government tried to force collectivization onto the citizens of Ukraine, one of their tactics was to remove all agricultural products," Cherwick explained. "The harvest for a number of years was taken away from the farmers and the local people… and people were left to starve."
Cherwick said there is a debate among historians as to the exact number of dead, but the number is significant.
"Between three and 10 million people died over a number of years," he said.
While Ukrainians have always commemorated the Holodomor, this act of remembrance has taken on a new meaning since Russia launched a war on Ukraine last year.
"The fiercest fighting is taking place in the same area of Ukraine where this man-made famine took place," Cherwick said.
"In the 30s, the decree came from Moscow to have this happen on the territory of Ukraine. And today, again, it's aggression from Moscow forced on the poor folks of Ukraine."
In February 2022, Russia invaded parts of Ukraine, triggering the ongoing war which has seen parts of cities destroyed, millions forced from their homes and over 70,000 Ukrainians killed.
Cherwick said while the conflict in Ukraine hasn't grabbed as many headlines lately, the fighting is still ongoing.
"The world's attention, understandably so, has gone to the Middle East," Cherwick said. "[However], the fighting [in Ukraine] is no less fierce than it's been over the last year and a half."
"The people in Ukraine, and the government of Ukraine, still needs support."
That sentiment was echoed by St. John's South—Mount Pearl MP Seamus O'Regan.
Speaking with CBC News after the service, O'Regan said the war in Ukraine is still a focus of the federal government.
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