Ukrainian President, First Lady commemorate victims of famines in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his spouse Olena on Saturday took part in events commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 – the genocide of the Ukrainian people.

That’s according to the president’s press service, Ukrinform reports.

“In the Assumption Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the presidential couple joined in prayer for the memory of the victims of the famines in Ukraine,” the report reads.

Top clerics and spiritual leaders of religious organizations, military chaplains, and Ukrainian military also took part in the prayer event.

After the prayer, the Head of State and the First Lady and representatives of the military-political leadership and clergy proceeded to the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide.

The event was also attended by President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs, President of Switzerland Alain Berset, Prime Minister of Lithuania Ingrida Šimonytė, heads and members of foreign parliaments, and representatives from the diplomatic corps.

To the tolling of the bell, President Zelensky and the First Lady placed lamps at the "Bitter Memory of Childhood" monument.

As reported, this Saturday, November 25, Ukraine commemorates the victims of the Holodomor.

This Day of Remembrance is celebrated annually, on the fourth Saturday of November, based on Presidential decrees of 1998 and 2007.

In the 20th century, the people of Ukraine were subjected to three Holodomors: 1921-1923, 1932-1933, and 1946-1947. The most extensive famine was that of 1932-1933 - it is referred to as the genocide of the Ukrainian people by the Stalinist regime.