Fellow compatriots!

During the twentieth century, the Ukrainian nation had endured a series of tragic pages, including three terrible famines of 1921-1923, 1932-1933, 1946-1947, which became tools for the extermination of Ukrainians by a nationality principle.

This day, all Ukrainians mark the 85th anniversary of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 - one of the most heinous crimes in the entire history of the globe. According to the most prudent estimates of specialists, at least 3.9 million Ukrainian citizens were starved to death. Ukrainian village turned into a deadly wasteland, where people were lying in the open air on the ground and dying of starvation.

Historical documents give every reason to assert that the Holodomor of 1932-1933 was a genocide - a planned physical extermination of the Ukrainian peasantry as a social, cultural and economic basis of the Ukrainian nation. A number of countries and international organizations recognize this fact and give a proper political and legal assessment of the dramatic events in Ukraine.

The position of the Ukrainian state will always be aimed at promoting the worldwide recognition of the 1932-1933 Holodomor as a genocide of the Ukrainian people and the maximum dissemination of information about this crime of the Bolshevik totalitarian regime. We have no right to forget about the events that have become part of our history. We will always remember this hideous crime against our people.

I call on everyone to light a candle of memory today and to honor the victims of the Holodomor of 1932-1933, as well as the victims of the Holodomors of 1921-1923 and 1946-1947 with a minute of silence.

Prime Minister of Ukraine                                       Volodymyr GROYSMAN