[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1] [Senate] [Page 939] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]REMEMBERING THE UKRAINIAN FAMINE Mr. VOINOVICH. Mr. President, I wish to remember the trials faced by the Ukrainian people and to pay tribute to their fortitude and love of freedom. At times in its history, Ukraine has been exploited and suffered greatly under repressive occupations. The Stalinist regime of the former Soviet Union sought to maintain control of the people and resources of the Ukraine through vicious oppression. The Ukrainian people have weathered many trials, but they have always fought for their freedom. It is my belief that as we embrace Ukraine's future, we must always remember the hardships of its past. The Ukrainian peasantry rebelled against the collectivization policies imposed on them by the Stalinist regime starting in 1925. It is documented that very few farmers voluntarily joined collectives until Soviet secret police and Bolshevik brigades were sent to crush the resistance. As agricultural production fell in 1932 due to drought and these Stalinist policies, the regime attempted to maintain its export level. To do this the regime brutally confiscated grain and foodstuffs from hunger-stricken villages. Trade and supplies of food and goods were banned from those villages which were considered to be ``underperforming,'' while families who resisted were banished to central Asia. The totalitarian regime meted out harsh sentences, even the death penalty, against those who stole even small amounts of grain. We can never forget that over 2,000 innocent people, including children as young as 12 years old, were executed under this law. In 1932, Stalin imposed barricades throughout the USSR to prevent peasants from fleeing those regions stricken by famine. It was a state- organized program of mass starvation against the nation of Ukraine as a whole and the revived Ukrainian nationalism. It had been inflicted on them deliberately to punish Ukraine and destroy the basis of its nationhood. The famine-genocide of the Holodomor resulted in the tragic and unforgettable loss of millions of Ukrainian lives. Nevertheless, the Stalinist regime denied reports of mass deaths and forbade travel to the area to deter foreign journalists from reporting on these terrible crimes. In fact, these horrible crimes remained largely unknown to the broader world for decades as a result of the denials and coverups of the Soviet authorities and their refusal of offers of international aid. Through its determination to remember the victims of the famine and Soviet oppression, the Ukrainian American community has helped to bring these events to light. Their efforts have helped to give a voice to the millions of people who suffered, starved, and died as a result of a flawed policy and authoritarian regime. On the 75th anniversary of the Ukrainian famine-genocide, we must continue the important work of the Ukrainian American community by remembering the cruel injustices suffered by the Ukrainian people during that part of history. By so doing, we are not only honoring the millions of victims of this oppression, but we are helping to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again in the future. ____________________