News

Dariia Zhdanova

It is difficult to look back upon the events that unfolded on our native land—Ukraine—nearly 100 years ago, during the Holodomor of 1932–1933. The darkness and horror of that time are almost unimaginable to the modern mind. These were the times in which our grandparents and great-grandparents lived. It is impossible to listen to the family histories preserved and passed down by survivors without tears, without a tightening in one’s soul.

It was a mass, ruthless, and deliberate extermination of millions of Ukrainian peasants, designed solely to crush their will and force them to abandon their natural and traditional way of life for the sake of a mythical “collective good.” These artificially constructed ideals, divorced from natural processes, only revealed their devastating ineffectiveness over time.

When I share the most horrific stories from those years—tales of people pushed to the brink of animalistic survival, where some lost their sanity and humanity—my acquaintances often struggle to believe it. Yet, the facts remain. Facts that were long concealed, twisted to hide the truth, and meant to disconnect us from the true spiritual strength of the Ukrainian nation. This spirit has always drawn its power from our connection to the land, and it continues to nourish us today, as we once again face the aggression of an enemy. This inherent strength and will of the Ukrainian people are invincible; they pass through death and repeatedly sprout new life.

A Service of Remembrance in Wales

On November 22nd, a magnificent, historic church Eglwys Dewi Sant in Cardiff was the setting for a service where representatives of the Welsh government, the Ukrainian Embassy, and the Ukrainian and Welsh communities in Wales gathered to honor the memory of the Holodomor victims.

The event, masterfully organized by Nick Wysoczanskyi of the Welsh Refugee Council, became another significant chapter in the history of Ukrainian-Welsh relations. It brought to light essential facts about a tragedy whose scale we continue to grasp and reinterpret in the context of contemporary events. It underscored the bond between our two nations and the unique role their representatives have played in past and present events, offering an opportunity to bow our heads together and deeply reflect on these difficult truths.

Speakers at the gathering included:

Jane Hutt MS, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip

His Excellency Eduard Fesko, Minister-Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Ukraine

Mick Antoniw MS, Member of Senedd for Pontypridd

Matt Youde, Councillor for Grangetown

The fact that most Welsh speakers have deep family ties to Ukraine fostered greater understanding, compassion, and shared grief. Each address concluded with a ceremonial laying of wreaths at an improvised altar of remembrance.

In addition to honoring the Holodomor victims, attendees paid tribute to the memory of the famous Welsh journalist, Gareth Jones, who was the first to reveal the truth of the horrific events taking place behind the Soviet curtain. He exposed the facts without reservation, a bravery for which he likely paid with his life on the eve of his 30th birthday.

Key Speeches and Parallels

Jane Hutt MS reminded the audience that the Welsh Parliament was the first in the United Kingdom to recognize the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as an act of genocide committed against the Ukrainian people by the Soviet regime. She emphasized that support for Ukrainians in Wales continues:

“Today’s commemoration is a reminder to us that it is essential to educate current and future generations about Holodomor… We continue to witness the resilience and courage of the Ukrainian people, who continue to inspire us, reminding us of the enduring spirit that carried them through past tragedies. We are honored to have supported you and we’ll continue to stand by you. In return, Ukrainians have enriched our communities with their culture and contributions, fostering a deeper understanding and friendship. By coming together today, we can light the way towards a brighter and united future. It is the strength of our common humanity which will help us to endure and rebuild.”

His Excellency Eduard Fesko drew clear parallels between the genocide of the Ukrainian people under the Holodomor and the Stalinist regime, and the way the Moscow “Rashist” regime under Putin is trying to destroy Ukrainians today during its full-scale invasion.

“The tragic events of today reaffirm that those who commit crimes against humanity have to be held accountable, that victims should be remembered, and the memories of past tragedies must be enshrined as precautions to prevent their repetition. In 1932–1933, the totalitarian communist regime committed a crime of genocide of the Ukrainian people, and in the 21st century, their direct descendants and faithful followers—the Moscow ‘Rashist’ regime—are trying to do the same… It is not only Ukraine as a sovereign nation that is under attack; it is the very idea of Ukrainians as a people that is still under threat. Both Stalin and Putin chose the method of genocide because nothing else could give them what they wanted… It is very important today to be very vocal about the Russian aggression, because from history we know what silence can lead to. The knowledge of Holodomor is essential to understand the true roots of Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine. For me personally, it is a huge honor to be here today, in Wales, because this country has a very special bond with Ukraine. Restoration of historical justice is necessary if we want to prevent such political atrocities from happening again.”

“The lessons of the 20th century indicate that external enemies can harm us, but as a nation, as a state—everything remains in our hands. And the greatest strength of Ukrainians is in unity.”

Mick Antoniw MS shared the story of Gareth Jones and his incredible courage in witnessing the true situation in a closed country and conveying that truth to the world when it was unwelcome:

“He relied on his own impressions, formed during meetings with the inhabitants of the villages of the Kharkiv region. They were doomed to die of hunger. Jones described villages stricken by hunger. In his letters to parents, he noticed that there is hunger everywhere. ‘Millions died from it. I travelled for several days in Ukraine and there was no bread. The children had stomach aches, all the horses and cows were dying, and the people were also dying of hunger. The terror was on an unheard scale.”

He also recounted that in April of this year, he participated as a member of a delegation that visited Kyiv. During the trip, discussions were held regarding a joint Welsh-Ukrainian project to erect a monument to Gareth Jones on one of the streets in Kyiv.

Matt Youde shared a compelling story about his own family. His grandfather fought against the imposed policies of the communist regime but was forced to flee abroad, building a new life in South Wales:

“My grandfather’s family was quite fortunate, living just outside the city of Chernivtsi, and that was then the Kingdom of Rumania—a multicultural city of Ukrainians, Romanians, Jews and Germans. They heard whispers about Holodomor happening across the border, but they did not have to experience the worst of it. Nonetheless, in 1941 and again in 1944, the Soviet Union invaded and annexed this area, and his family’s small farm was confiscated and incorporated into Stalin’s incompetent and weaponized collectivization programme. He would tell me stories of having to queue for bread. Growing up, his family had been self-sufficient and connected to the wider community. Now his family had to hope for crumbs of the harvests that they were working hard to bring in.”

Councillor Youde also reflected on the enduring trait that sustains Ukrainians—their vital connection to the land—and how, even in emigration, that bond remains:

“Growing up, he and his family held a firm connection with the land—their land. War and forced displacement severed this connection, but here he was able to regain the major part of this relationship, growing beans in his garden and caring for the allotment behind his house for many years. In this work was wrapped up his sense of self-sufficiency, his relationship with the land and perhaps his own self-sense of identity. Being a Ukrainian for him meant the connection with land, with food. And even as he made this place his home, I like to think his relationship allowed him to recapture in his heart and his memories his own little piece of Ukrainian land. Today, I remember his example, I remember all those who were lost and who lived through the Holodomor, believing firmly that even in the terrible toll it took, it failed. The Ukrainian people survived, their culture survived, their language survived, and today they still defend their lands. Because this is the lesson that we take from the Holodomor: land belongs to its people, and people belong with their land. And even when this relationship is broken, even when thousands of miles separate people physically from their land, in their hearts and their lives, and in their communities and places around them, it is possible to keep hold of that special connection. Despite everyone and everything, it can’t truly be broken.”

Serhii Mozgoviy, a representative of the Ukrainian displaced community, Serhii thanked the Welsh Government for the support it has provided to Ukrainians in the United Kingdom, specifically noting the importance of this support for families with children. He also shared information he learned from his grandmother, born in 1926. She survived multiple famines in Ukraine. While the post-war famine of 1946–47 was the most difficult for her, she also recalled the lesser-known fact that even during Khrushchev’s time (the 1960s), Ukrainians endured another wave of food shortages. This occurred in Ukraine, whose fertile lands could always feed not only its own people but also share grain and agricultural produce with others—a clear indictment of a centralized system where agriculture, though vast in scale, remained largely inefficient. For Ukrainians, it has always been more natural to work their own small plot of land, investing personal labor and reaping the full rewards of their work. Serhii concluded his speech with the poignant and horrifying poem by Pavlo Tychyna, written during the first famine of 1921.

Art as Testimony

The atmosphere of the event was beautifully enhanced by artists. Oleksandra Yanovich and the local community hub choir “Strings of the Soul” sent songs-prayers soaring through the church rafters with their pure voices. The authentic sounds of the bandura were provided by the Kalianovy sisters.

For the second year, artist Oksana Frolova prepared her symbolic jewelry, the “Black Wheat”. These custom, handcrafted pieces were presented to all the event’s guest speakers.

In the Ukrainian hub’s community center, an exhibition by Ukrainian artists was dedicated to the Holodomor. Its curator, Nonna Davydenko, offered her insights:

“This exhibition is about memory that has no expiry date. It is dedicated to the victims of the Holodomor – an artificially created genocide by the Soviet regime that claimed millions of Ukrainian lives. But this is not merely a historical exhibition. Today, when Ukraine once again faces attempts at its destruction, these works resonate with particular poignancy. They speak of how memory becomes resistance, and art becomes testimony.

Symbols unite these works. Wheat and bread run throughout the exhibition as a painful reminder of the absurdity of the tragedy: a breadbasket country that fed Europe was deliberately starved. Olena Voronenko displays golden stalks of wheat against a black background – during the Holodomor, one stalk weighed more than gold. Oksana Frolova created a brooch “Black Wheat” with golden coating, as bread was then more precious than gold. Her father survived the Holodomor of 1946–1947, gathered wheat in the fields as a child, and remembered the value of every grain throughout his life.

Nina Lachyna-Thomas tells a family story: her grandmother and the entire family survived because her grandfather divided the grains amongst the children – one grain each. She paints a stalk of wheat on an embroidered towel with a pattern of viburnum and oak – symbols that a person will overcome grief.

Mila Kuzmenko and Veronika created two powerful works in mixed media – red and black, blood and mourning. Fragmented texts and dates, amongst them the “Law of Five Stalks” of 7th August 1932, which condemned people to death for gathered stalks. The central image of bread and flames is a cruel irony: the breadbasket of Europe, deliberately starved.

Tetiana Rud in “Sorrow” shows a bent figure of a woman – a shadow of the past that never fades. Whilst in “Wings of Memory” white wings symbolise the souls of millions rising through darkness, carrying the light of memory. Olesia Miftahova in her work “The Light I Couldn’t Kill” speaks of the indestructibility of spirit – about that light within that continues to burn, despite attempts to extinguish it.

A separate story is the work by Nina Lachyna and John Thomas about Gareth Jones, the first journalist who reported the Holodomor to the world. He was disbelieved, he was silenced. He was born in Barry, where Nina now lives. His mother worked in Hughesovka (modern-day Donetsk) – where Nina was born. This is a striking connection between places, times, between the tragedy of the past and the tragedy of the present. Jones had the courage to tell the truth when the world didn’t want to hear it.

Memory is not simply about the past. It is about the present and the future. Every work here is not only art, but also a document, testimony, an act of resistance against oblivion. We must remember so that history does not repeat itself. But it does repeat itself. And our duty is to bear witness, to remember, not to remain silent. This exhibition is a bridge between generations: those who survived, their children and grandchildren who carry the memory forward. This is our responsibility to those who are no longer here, and to those who will come after us.”

The event honoring the victims of the Holodomor in Ukraine was an excellent opportunity to collectively confront critical historical insights, draw attention to undeniable facts, and understand why the Ukrainian people’s struggle against the aggressor is so significant in the modern world. Together, we not only prayed and remembered, but we reaffirmed the incredible spiritual strength of a people who are defending not just their land, but their very identity. May the brightest wishes and faith in this enduring strength inspire the restoration and maintenance of just processes on this Earth.

Nick Wysoczanskyi expressed his sincere gratitude to all those who helped bring the event to life:

“This commemoration would have been impossible without the dedication and commitment of everyone involved: our distinguished speakers, talented performers, artists, and craftspeople, the invaluable Ukrainian Hub Cymru Wales team, and the Parish of Eglwys Dewi Sant for graciously hosting the service.

The support from the Welsh Government was truly invaluable, as was the commitment shown by Mick Antoniw MS, the Senedd 4 Ukraine group, and Deputy Ambassador Eduard Fesko of the Embassy of Ukraine to the UK.

I am profoundly grateful to every single person who contributed and who dedicated their valuable time to pay respect and remembrance to the victims of the Holodomor.”

Photography: Dariia Zhdanova.