Bundestag recognized Holodomor as genocide of Ukrainian people

The Bundestag, the lower house of the German parliament, has adopted a resolution recognizing the Holodomor - the mass famine of 1932-33 - as genocide of the Ukrainian people.

The resolution was supported by three parties of the ruling coalition and the Christian Democrats. The Left and Alternative for Germany factions, which often take pro-Kremlin positions, abstained.

Not a single vote was cast against. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the German MPs for the decision, tweeting that "the truth always wins".

Deutsche Welle quotes the key phrase of the adopted resolution: "From today's point of view, the historical and political assessment suggests that this is a genocide. The German Bundestag shares this assessment." The publication notes that it is a cautious wording, according to which the recognition of the Holodomor as a genocide of the Ukrainian people is rather a remark than the main message.

However, according to Deutsche Welle, even this cautious wording became a sensation for German politics. Back in 2019, Bundestag deputies actually refused to consider a petition to recognize the Holodomor as genocide, saying they knew almost nothing about the events. Observers note that the current Russian aggression against Ukraine had a great influence on the change in the position of deputies.

The document also condemns the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the USSR and the "imperial policy" of both the then totalitarian states and today's Russia. It is also about the historical responsibility of Germany for the crimes of the Nazis, including the Holocaust and the destruction of the civilian population of the USSR.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 01/12/2022