The 25th of November commemorates one of the darkest crimes of the 20th century, the Great Famine of Ukraine, known as the Holodomor.

In the early 1930s, Ukraine was thriving with crops, grain, villages, and people living through a century of turmoil. Stalin and his regime started collectivization in a way that crushed every aspect of rural life. Grain seizures became absolute, entire areas were sealed off, and peasants were seen as suspects and enemies supposedly hiding produce.

The punishment was merciless. Ukraine fell into a famine that claimed at least four million lives, with about one million more dead in the North Caucasus.

The memory of the Holodomor remains alive not only as a tribute but as a reminder of what happens when a state treats its citizens as mere objects for control.

🎨 from Goya’s “Famine” series, with the caption: “No hay quien los socorra” (There is no one to help them).