Kuleba calls on Germany to recognize Holodomor as genocide of Ukrainian people
Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba called on the German Bundestag to recognize the Holodomor as genocide of the Ukrainian people and emphasized the genocidal component of russia's war against Ukraine.
He stated this in an address to the international conference on the war in Ukraine, "International Law Against Genocide" in Berlin, reports Ukrinform.
"When we talk about genocide, I have to pay attention that the German Bundestag does not recognize the Holodomor as a genocide of Ukrainians. I am convinced that the obstacles have always been political, namely: the lack of prior political will in the Bundestag and the good old policy of "trying not to provoke russia." All these factors led to the issue being stuck in limbo," Kuleba said.
In particular, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy drew attention to the fact that the author of the term genocide, Raphael Lemkin, defined the Holodomor as a "classic example of Soviet genocide."
"There cannot be a better legal assessment. November will be the 90th anniversary of Stalin's genocide of the Ukrainian people. I expect to see a fair and historic decision adopted by the German Bundestag already this fall to honor the victims of the tragedy and finally restore international law and justice. The policy of "not provoking russia" has finally disappeared, so this is the moment to do the right thing," the minister said.
The head of the Foreign Ministry also emphasized that the actions of the russians during the war against Ukraine fall under the criteria of genocide. In particular, Kuleba focused on incitement to genocide and forced transportation, adoption, and upbringing of children as part of another national community.
In this context, the minister noted that Ukraine relies on Germany's support for the creation of a special international tribunal to punish the crime of russian aggression.
"Just like Stalin 90 years ago, putin deliberately aims to kill Ukrainians. 90 years later, Putin is purposefully killing Ukrainians to erase our identity," said the head of Ukrainian diplomacy.
Reference
On February 24, russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. russian troops shell and destroy infrastructure facilities, mass shelling Ukrainian cities and villages' residential areas.
The Holodomor of 1932-1933 was an act of genocide of the Ukrainian people, organized by the leadership of the Communist Party and the USSR government by creating an artificial mass famine.
Holodomor Memorial Day is celebrated every year on the fourth Saturday of November.
