Ukraine envoy urges FG to recognise ‘Holodomor’ as genocide

The Ukraine Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Valerii Aleksandruk, has urged the National Assembly to pass a resolution recognising Holodomor as genocide.

The Ambassador said his government has written the executive arm of government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Nigeria’s recognition of the day.

The envoy made the disclosure Saturday at the occasion of the 85th anniversary of Holodomor.

Holodomor is the term used for the death by starvation policy adopted by the Communists Russia against Ukrainians from 1932-1933.

The day is marked every last Saturday of November.

He said: “We have written to the National Assembly and the ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria to recognise the Holodomor as the genocide against Ukrainian people, and to adopt the relevant resolutions.”

The envoy added on October 4, 2018, the US Senate had unanimously passed a resolution recognizing the 1932-1933 Holodomor, which saw the death of millions of Ukraine people by starvation as genocide and sin against humanity.

According to him, the US Congress also condemned the systematic violations of human rights, including the freedom of self-determination and freedom of speech of the Ukrainian people by the Russian government.

He added that part of the US resolution included an extension of US deepest sympathies to the victims, survivors of the famine and their families, and encouraged dissemination of information regarding the Holodomor in order to expand the world’s knowledge of that man-made tragedy.

Dr Aleksandruk further explained that aside the United States, several other countries around the world have extended recognition to Holodomor as genocide against Ukrainian people.

“On November 24, the entire world joined the Republic of Ukraine in commemorating ‘Holodomor, a day set aside to remember the execution by hunger (communist genocide) in Ukraine.

“Holodomor, which the Soviet Authorities carried out in 1932-1933 in Ukraine, is considered to be one of the most devastating events of the 20th century.

“It was an artificial famine induced by the Communist regime in Ukraine, which resulted in genocide.

“The word ‘Holodomor’ came from two Ukrainian words – holod, meaning starvation or famine, and moryty, which means ‘to inflict death’.

Meanwhile, statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in connection with another act of aggression against Ukraine

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its strong protest to the Russian Federation in connection with the armed attack and capture of the Ukrainian navy ships «Berdyansk», «Nikopol» and the tug boat «Yana Kapu», as well as the wounding and capturing of members of their crews.

The attack on Ukrainian ships that was carried out during a sea crossing from the port of Odessa to the port of Mariupol, in accordance with the provisions of all effective multilateral and bilateral international treaties and navigation rules, is nothing

but another act of armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, as defined, in particular, in Article 2 of the Charter of the United Nations and the provisions of UN General Assembly Resolution 29/3314 of 14 December 1974 on the definition of aggression.

Russia has de facto expanded its military aggression against Ukraine to the sea. Kremlin’s criminal regime has today once again demonstrated that it won’t stop its aggressive policy and is ready for any acts of aggression against the Ukrainian state.

Ukraine demands to provide urgent medical assistance to the wounded and to ensure their immediate safe return home. Ukraine also demands to return the captured navy ships and to compensate for the damage caused.

It is Kremlin’s regime who bears full responsibility for further aggravation of the situation in the Azov and Black Seas and for undermining the peaceful settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict.

Ukraine urges its allies and partners to take all necessary measures to deter the aggressor, by applying new and strengthening existing sanctions, as well as by providing Ukraine with military assistance to protect its territorial integrity and sovereignty within the internationally recognized borders.