Churches commemorate 75th anniversary of Ukrainian genocide

People gathered May 29 at War Memorial Plaza in Baltimore to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the “holodomor,” or Ukrainian genocide of 1932-33. Father Vasyl Sivinskyi, pastor of St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church in Baltimore, and Father Vasyl Kryshtompol, a Ukrainian Orthodox priest in Baltimore, lead a prayer service. A torch from Ukraine was used during the prayer service.

According to a 2007 article on the BBC Web site, the Kremlin confiscated grain from villages, with devastating results.

“No one is sure how many people died, but historians say that in under a year at least 3 million and possibly up to 10 million starved to death,” according to the article.