Marcy Kaptur: “Today I rise for the record to express my deepest regard and sympathies to the new Nation of Ukraine at its 68th…”

“Today I rise for the record to express my deepest regard and sympathies to the new Nation of Ukraine at its 68th anniversary remembrance of the tragic great famine of 1932 and 1933. Ukraine, always known as the breadbasket of Europe, lost nearly a quarter of its population as the Stalinist-led government, headquartered in Moscow then, forcibly exported Ukraine's wheat and spent the money earned on industrialization. Only God knows the true count of the millions of Ukrainian peasants and village dwellers who were systematically starved to death as collectivization of the countryside made independent farming impossible. Inside the borders of the Soviet Union, over 50 million people ultimately perished through the end of the Second World War, beginning with upwards of 8 million innocent people who died during forced famine of the early 1930s. The totalitarian regime of Joseph Stalin understood the power of food as the most fundamental weapon and used it cruelly. For several centuries, Ukraine then fought for its freedom. When forced to join the U.S.S.R. in the 20th century, Ukrainians resisted with valor. The forests of Western Ukraine are filled with the bones of their sacrifice. Every family suffered permanent losses. Yet no threats or punishments could deter Ukraine from its constant attempts to leave the Soviet Union and restore its independence.”