Holodomor victims commemorated in Chisinau: "A tragic page"
The victims of the Holodomor were commemorated in Chișinău during an event attended by several Ukrainian citizens and diplomatic representatives. The event began with a moment of silence, followed by a visit to an exhibition of historical photographs that depicted the suffering of the population during 1932-1933. The program also included a screening of a documentary about this national tragedy.
The Calmutskys shared with great sadness stories about their relatives who died during that difficult period.
"My mother was born in 1921, and my brother in 1946. Several relatives were born in 1933; they all suffered. Many did not survive, and most of those who did owe their lives to God."
"My aunt died of hunger in 1932. You could only eat grass; there was no bread, no food at all. That's what my grandfather and father told me, but they are no longer with us now."
Valentina Moraru said she is named after someone who died during the famine.
"In our family, on my mother's side, there was a little girl named Valentina. She was only nine years old when she died in 1932. I was born in the 1950s, and my mother named me after her sister to keep her memory alive. These are merciless and harsh memories from the stories I've heard. During my school years, discussing these events was forbidden; we couldn't talk about it in schools," said Valentina Moraru, president of the Ukrainian Women's Community of the Republic of Moldova.
Officials emphasized the importance of preserving the memory of the Holodomor.
“It is a tragic chapter in the history of Ukraine, representing the genocide of the Ukrainian people. If these crimes are not condemned and stopped, history will repeat itself. What is happening today in Ukraine is, in many ways, a repetition of those past atrocities, albeit with different methods,” stated the Ukrainian ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, Paun Rohovei.
“It is crucial for us to preserve this memory because the Soviet Union did everything possible to conceal it. We must ensure that the new generation understands this tragedy to prevent it from occurring again,” remarked Dmitri Lekartsev, the director of the National Congress of Ukrainians.
The Great Famine in Ukraine during 1932-1933 resulted in the deaths of between 3.5 and 7 million people.
