Ukrainian community in St. John's gathers to commemorate the Holodomor

Around 100 people, mostly members of the Ukrainian community, gathered at the Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John's on Saturday to remember the Holodomor. 

"Holodomor is the Ukrainian word for death by famine or death by starvation," said Brian Cherwick, vice-president of the Ukrainian Cultural Association of Newfoundland and Labrador. 

"In the 1930s, when the Soviet government tried to force collectivization onto the citizens of Ukraine, one of their tactics was to remove all agricultural products," Cherwick explained. "The harvest for a number of years was taken away from the farmers and the local people … and people were left to starve."

Cherwick said there is a debate among historians as to the exact number of dead, but the number is significant.

"Between three and 10 million people died over a number of years," he said.

While Ukrainians have always commemorated the Holodomor, the act of remembrance has taken on a new meaning since Russia launched a war on Ukraine last year. 

"The fiercest fighting is taking place in the same area of Ukraine where this man-made famine took place," Cherwick said.

"In the '30s, the decree came from Moscow to have this happen on the territory of Ukraine. And today, again, it's aggression from Moscow forced on the poor folks of Ukraine."

In February 2022, Russia invaded parts of Ukraine, triggering the ongoing war, which has seen parts of cities destroyed, millions forced from their homes and over 70,000 Ukrainians killed.

While the conflict in Ukraine hasn't grabbed as many headlines lately,said Cherwick, the fighting is still ongoing. 

"The world's attention, understandably so, has gone to the Middle East," Cherwick said. "[However], the fighting [in Ukraine] is no less fierce than it's been over the last year and a half.

"The people in Ukraine, and the government of Ukraine, still needs support."

Speaking with CBC News after the service, St. John's South-Mount Pearl MP Seamus O'Regan said the war in Ukraine is still a focus of the federal government.

"We stand with them, and we stand with them militarily," O'Regan said. 

"We stand with them as they attempt to rebuild, even as they fight. And we are supremely confident in their victory."

O'Regan said it was important for him to attend the service, as the local Ukrainian population continues to grow. 

"The Ukrainian community has become such an important part of our community," O'Regan said. "When I see the many faces here, I see the future of this province."

For Katarina Gavrilyuk, the war is a matter of history repeating itself.

"If you don't remember your history, you will live it again," she said. 

"They took all the food from our people and a lot of Ukrainians died.… And right now, we see almost the same. They took grain from our country and they use food like a weapon again."

Amid the war, Russia has prevented Ukraine — one of the world's top grain exporters — from dealing in trade with their grain products. In addition to the financial significance it holds to Ukraine, the grain shipped through the Black Sea corridor is an important food source for many African nations. 

Gavrilyuk says that form of Russian aggression has wide-ranging consequences.

"They block our ships in the harbours and they're doing the same for Africa," Gavrilyuk said. "They will not have food. What will they do? They will die.

"Please don't forget about Ukraine.… Please support Ukraine as much as you can. Think about us, talk about us. Don't forget that we are still fighting."

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