Ukrainian Genocide - Edinburgh, UK - Disaster Memorials on Waymarking.com

The Ukrainian Famine of 1932–1933, known as the Holodomor (from the Ukrainian words holod meaning “hunger” and moryty meaning “to kill”), was a man-made catastrophe that resulted in the deaths of millions of people across Soviet Ukraine. Unlike natural famines, this one was caused primarily by policies enacted by Joseph Stalin’s Soviet regime. The forced collectivization of agriculture led to peasants being stripped of their land, tools, and livestock. Grain quotas imposed by the state were impossibly high, and when these quotas were not met, Soviet authorities confiscated not only grain but all available foodstuffs, seeds, and livestock. The result was mass starvation across Ukrainian villages, particularly in the rural, grain-producing areas.

An internal passport system introduced around this time prevented starving Ukrainians from leaving their regions in search of food. Those who resisted or failed to comply with requisition orders were arrested, deported, or executed. Between 3.5 and 7 million people are estimated to have died, though exact numbers remain debated due to the Soviet government’s deliberate suppression and falsification of records. Aid was denied, and discussion of the famine was prohibited for decades.

The question of whether the Holodomor constitutes genocide has been the subject of ongoing debate. Many historians and several countries, including Ukraine, Canada, the United States, and Poland, recognize it as such, arguing that the famine was used as a deliberate tool to destroy Ukrainian national identity and suppress independence movements. Others argue that the policies, while brutal and criminally negligent, were part of broader Soviet economic and political campaigns and did not meet the strict definition of genocide. However, the targeting of Ukraine specifically, along with evidence of planning, the blocking of aid, and restrictions on migration, have increasingly strengthened the argument for intentionality.

Authors like Robert Conquest and Anne Applebaum have written extensively on the Holodomor, drawing on eyewitness accounts and recently opened Soviet archives to document the tragedy and its roots. Survivors’ testimonies describe haunting scenes of entire villages wasting away, children abandoned, and desperate people eating grass, bark, and even clay in a futile effort to survive.

Today, the Holodomor is officially commemorated in Ukraine on the fourth Saturday of November each year. There are memorials in Kyiv, Washington D.C., Toronto, and other cities around the world. For Ukrainians, it remains one of the most painful chapters in their history—a stark symbol of both suffering and resistance, and a powerful reminder of the devastating consequences of political repression and state-imposed terror.

To honor those who perished, the Ukrainian community in Edinburgh created a small monument in a quiet corner of Calton hill. A plaque there contains the following text:

"Genocide by forced famine in Ukraine
More than 7 million died.
We remember best when we remember together.
Dedicated by the
Ukrainian Community in Scotland.
November 2017"

Disaster Date: 01/01/1933 Date of dedication: 11/28/2017 Memorial Sponsors: Ukrainian Community in Edinburgh Disaster Type: Sociological Relevant Website: [Web Link] Parking Coordinates: Not Listed

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