Introduction to the Holodomor Story

If you clicked on this post, you probably already know something about the Holodomor story, but if you don’t, here’s a brief definition. “The Holodomor” refers to a man-made famine that killed millions of Ukrainians from 1932 to 1933 and considered a genocide by some scholars. But what if I told you that it wasn’t only Ukrainians, but also people from many other USSR republics who suffered from that same famine, yet basically no one talks about it?

Is the Holodomor Story Incomplete?

It seems like Ukraine has a “monopoly” on that suffering to push their narrative, which is kind of, understandable. As someone whose great grandmother barely survived the same famine in the Volga region (very far from Ukraine), I feel like the world must know the full scale of that tragic event.

There were at least two periods in the early days of the USSR when people were starving to death. The first one happened in 1921-1922 and is known as the “Povolzhye Famine“. There were multiple reasons: a severe drought, the war’s impact and above all the government policies. The Soviet government’s grain requisition policy, known as “prodrazverstka,” took a large portion of grain from peasants, leaving them with barely enough to survive. The famine caused widespread death, with estimates ranging up to 5 million people perishing.

My Great Grandma’s Story: Surviving the Famine

She was born in 1887 and passed away in 1989, so she lived through WW1, the October Revolution, WW2, and almost made it till the collapse of the USSR. My mom often asked her to tell stories about Imperial Russia, the October revolution, the wars etc. Among those stories there was another one – The Holodomor.

A Personal Account

My great grandmother made it through that period only because her family was relatively rich by local standards, so they had just enough food to survive. Many people in her village didn’t. You could say she was lucky, but being a rich peasant was actually a curse in the early USSR. If you were slightly better off than most, you were considered a ”kulak”, which meant an enemy of the state.

Only ten years later when another famine happened (the one referred as Holodomor in Ukraine), she finally faced “dekulakization”. Bolsheviks seized her land, livestock, and property. Her husband died one year before, so Bolsheviks showed some mercy and just kicked her out from her new house with two small kids to live in a wooden shack. Imagine living in a wooden shed in Russian winter, when temperature drops to -40°C. She was left with nothing and survived only because other villagers pitied the poor widow with two small children. They shared the miserable remains of food they had.

Broken Lives

Her neighbours, who lived in a big new house (hence “kulaks”) across the road, were not as lucky and were sent to Siberia. They had to walk thousands of kilometres to their new “home”, so 3 out of 5 kids didn’t make; they died of cold and starvation. Those who managed to survive, were allowed to come back only in 1954. They enjoyed Stalin’s Siberian resorts for more than two decades.  

I personally know one the two kids who made it through all the hardships. When I left Russia more than two years ago, that unbent woman was still alive. She never complained and never mentioned either her family’s “dekulakization” or her life in Siberia. Her family’s house is still standing strong across the road from my uncle’s house. I remember playing around it as a kid, not knowing anything about its grim story.

Comparing Holodomor to Other Soviet Famines

The same thing was happening basically in every former soviet republic, which heavily relied on agriculture. As you already know, “Holodomor” is the term Ukrainians use when referring to the great famine of 1932-1933, but the same famine that devastated Kazakhstan in 1930-1933. It has its own name – “Kazakh Famine“, and is also known as “The Asharshylyk”.

Here’s a breakdown on the Kazakh famine to illustrate the fact that Kazakhstan suffered even heavier losses than Ukraine:

Percentage of Ukrainians who died in the Holodomor: Estimates range between 10% and 25% [according to various sources]. Percentage of Kazakhs who died in the Kazakh Famine: (1.3 million to 2.1 million deaths) out of a total population of 6.1 million in 1926. Taking the average number of deaths (1.7 million) and dividing by the population yields roughly 28%. Even using the high end of the Ukrainian death rate estimate (25%), the percentage of Kazakhs who died is significantly higher.

Broader Implications and Historical Context

What about other Soviet republics? While finding a precise number isn’t possible (due to USSR’s tendencies to hide its crimes and downplay its failures), some scholars have analysed regional population changes and death rates during the famine period across the USSR (excluding Ukraine and Kazakhstan). Their estimates suggest a range of 3 to 4 million deaths outside of Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

This is how a more complete story of all famines across the USSR in 1921-1933 looks like. The goal of this post is not to belittle the suffering of Ukrainians under Stalin’s regime, but to give you a bigger picture of what was happening during that period of time in the USSR. Some people (mostly Ukrainians) argue that Holodomor was targeting specifically Ukrainian nationalism, which is probably plausible to some degree.

Stalin and Islam

The thing is, the same famine devastated Kazakhstan and Northern Caucasus with their predominantly Muslim populations. Does it mean Stalin wanted to suppress their religion and national identities as well? Probably yes, since he wasn’t exactly known as a big fan of Islam. However, there is another inconsistency. Volga Region, Kuban Region, South Urals and West Siberia also suffered immensely from the same famine, and those regions are predominantly Orthodox Christian. These peoples have never been known for any kind of nationalism.

The Holodomor Story: A Closer Look

It’s totally up to you to decide what was behind Stalin’s decisions to starve his own citizens to death. Personally, I don’t think that Stalin aimed to eliminate specifically any nationality, although he did seem to be especially against Islam as a religion and ideology. I think he simply never cared about casualties, as long as it served his goal of establishing communism when the end justifies the means.

The Tragedy Beyond Ukraine

The term “Holodomor” has become synonymous with a horrific famine, but this event wasn’t confined to Ukraine’s borders. The Holodomor story, how tragic it is, appears Incomplete. Our understanding of this dark chapter in history must encompass the broader Soviet famines of 1920-1930s. Millions perished across the USSR, with places like Kazakhstan suffering proportionally worse than Ukraine. Recognizing these lesser-known tragedies ensures a more complete and respectful narrative for all the victims.

This isn’t to downplay the specific horrors Ukrainians endured. Instead, it’s a call to acknowledge the wider Soviet famine as a distinct tragedy with its immense scale. While the reasons behind Stalin’s policies remain debated, the human cost is indisputable. By remembering the collective suffering across the USSR, we honour all victims and send a powerful message. The horrors of these famines stand as a powerful reminder of the devastating consequences of totalitarian rule. Let their memory serve as a safeguard against such tragedies ever happening again.