On the 25th of November Ukraine commemorates the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor – the deliberate starvation of Ukrainian people committed by the Soviet regime. For a long time the Holodomor was overlooked as a crime and is still denied by Russia, which called it a natural disaster rather than a carefully planned and executed campaign.
While time has passed, however, such methods are once again employed to eliminate Ukrainians. From the attacks on Odesa ports and grain storages to the attacks on the bread queues and humanitarian volunteers delivering aid – the tactics of using starvation as a method of warfare by Russian forces is evident.
During its cooperation with Ukrainian law enforcement agencies in investigation, GRC’s Mobile Justice Teams see clear indicators that Russia once again weaponizes food. Even beyond, certain Russian acts may also bear genocidal signs that warrant further investigation. Crimes depriving civilians of objects indispensable to survival are occurring within broader criminal patterns that could qualify as genocide, if accompanied by the intent to physically or biologically destroy the Ukrainian national or ethnic group.
After attacking objects indispensable to survival for months in Mariupol, in November 2022 Russian occupying forces dismantled the monument to the Holodomor’s victims – as a symbol of truth about crimes committed in the past.
GRC recently released the Report ‘Agriculture Weaponised’, which reveals new evidence that Russia planned to systematically pillage Ukraine’s grain, using subsequent proceeds to fund occupation and illegal war.
International justice is time-consuming yet essential to our shared humanity. Perpetrators can change uniforms and flags; however, the nature of evil and its fate remain the same. The starvation crimes, other war crimes, and acts that might bear genocidal signs, committed by Russian forces during the full-scale invasion, need to be recognised, documented, and most importantly, punished. On the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor’s commemoration, GRC urges the international community not to repeat past mistakes and support accountability efforts in Ukraine and beyond, including universal jurisdiction proceedings and the International Criminal Court’s justice efforts.