Author(s): Petro M. CHERNEGA,Andriy P. CHERNEHA,Natalia V. BARANOVA,Nataliia O. OBLOVATSKA / Language(s): English
Issue: 9/2023
The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the Ukrainian famine of 1921-1923, challenging the widely held view that it was a tragic consequence of the civil war, as claimed by Lenin. Instead, the authors argue that the famine was a deliberate result of the Russian Bolsheviks' establishment of a social system reminiscent of feudal Russia. Drawing on the insights of Russian philosopher A. Zinoviev in his seminal work "Communism as Reality," the authors shed light on the underlying causes and motivations behind this man-made disaster. During the brutal war of aggression, the Moscow Bolshevik regime employed various means of mass physical, political, and economic terror to suppress the national liberation movement of the Ukrainian people. One of the most insidious tactics was the imposition of a food dictatorship and the orchestration of the famine itself between 1921 and 1923. This deliberate policy was designed to crush any resistance and consolidate Bolshevik rule over Ukrainian lands. The famine served a dual purpose for the Moscow regime. On the one hand, it ensured a steady supply of vital resources such as food, coal, and metals from Ukraine to sustain the famine-stricken central regions of Russia, the North Caucasus, and Crimea. On the other hand, it enabled the Bolsheviks to establish their power on Ukrainian soil by subjugating and exploiting the population through the terror of famine. The consequences of this policy were catastrophic and far-reaching. The Ukrainian famine resulted in the destruction of the country's most productive agricultural resources, severely impairing the country's ability to feed its own population. In addition, a significant number of children, the future of the Ukrainian nation, died of starvation. Entire villages were devastated, and the subsequent influx of people from the Russian territories changed the ethnic composition of the affected regions, exacerbating the process of Russification. This demographic transformation further eroded Ukrainian cultural distinctiveness, including its scientific, educational, literary, and artistic sectors. The loss of cultural heritage and the erosion of national identity created long-lasting socio-psychological problems that continue to hinder the revival of Ukrainian statehood and its progress toward integration into the European community. The authors contend that the threat to the preservation of the Ukrainian nation and the restoration of an independent, united, and democratic Ukrainian state extends beyond the immediate Russian aggression. These acts of aggression include support for Transnistria, the wars with Chechnya and Georgia, the annexation of Crimea, the conflict in the Donbass, and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The authors argue that severely punishing Russia for its actions is essential to preventing the recurrence of such atrocities in the future. The responsibility to confront the aggressor does not lie with Ukraine alone; it requires the collective efforts of the international community. The article calls for a united front among nations and international organizations to hold Russia and other perpetrators accountable for their actions. It emphasizes the importance of implementing robust legal mechanisms, such as international tribunals, to punish those responsible for crimes against humanity, ensuring that they face the full force of justice. Moreover, the call for a united front extends beyond Russia, recognizing that crimes against humanity are not confined to a single nation or region. It highlights the necessity of addressing and preventing such atrocities on a global scale, emphasizing the shared responsibility of all nations to protect human rights and uphold international law.
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