Ukraine commemorates victims of Holodomor tragedy

By Dmitri Chirciu

KIEV, Ukraine (AA) - Victims of a tragedy in which the Soviet Union regime starved to death millions of people in 1932 -1933, were commemorated Saturday in Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and former President Viktor Yushchenko lead a large number of people who attended the event in the capital of Kiev.

As many as 4 to 8 million people died in Ukraine during the Holodomor tradegy, Zelenskiy said during his address at the memorial.

Zelenskiy said the Soviet Union carried out "genocide" against Ukrainians and “Ukrainian people will never forget, never forgive this.”

Commemorative ceremonies were held in different cities in Ukraine.

The Holodomor tragedy is considered one of the most painful events in the history of Ukraine.

About 4.5 million people were killed as a result of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin’s “collectivization” policy, according to Ukrainian Institute of National Memory.

The Soviet Union implemented the collectivization of its agricultural sector between 1928 and 1940 to integrate individual landholdings and labor into collectively-controlled and state-controlled farms.