USA at OSCE: Like Stalin, Putin attacking Ukraine's agriculture

This was stated by the US Chargé d'Affaires a.i. in the OSCE, Katherine Brucker, who spoke at the regular meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on the 91st anniversary of the Holodomor-genocide of 1932-1933 in Ukraine.

"Each November, we mark the solemn anniversary of the Holodomor.  For a third year, we do so as the brave people of Ukraine continue to defend their freedom and Ukraine’s sovereignty against Russia’s war of aggression," Brucker said.

She recalled that 91 years ago, the inhumane policies of Joseph Stalin and the Soviet regime created the Holodomor, or “death by hunger.”  Millions of Ukrainians—men, women, and children—suffered and starved to death in 1932 and 1933 because of a manmade famine, which Solzhenitsyn pointed out “came without drought and without war.”  Stalin and his regime systematically seized Ukraine’s grain and farms.  “The Stalin regime transferred this grain to other parts of the Soviet Union as a tactic to repress Ukraine’s national identity,” the diplomat said. “The Kremlin did its best to hide the truth from the world.”

Brucker pointed out that Ukraine's agricultural infrastructure is now being deliberately targeted again, "this time by Vladimir Putin."

"Russia’s forces seek to destroy Ukraine’s economy and independence, intentionally damaging fields and destroying Ukraine’s grain storage facilities, ports, and shipping.  It is not just an attack on Ukraine and its economic security, it also threatens global food security," the diplomat noted.

She emphasized that the Ukrainian people survived the horror of the Holodomor, "demonstrating their indomitable spirit." The survivors and their descendants "ultimately built a free, democratic, and independent Ukraine."

"On this anniversary, we remember and honor all Ukrainians, both past and present, who have endured – and continue to endure – unimaginable hardship in defending their homeland against tyranny.  We stand with united Ukraine," said the acting head of the US mission to the OSCE.

As reported earlier, November 23 marks Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holodomors and the 91st anniversary of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine.