WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Tim Kaine, D-Va.., introduced a resolution commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Ukraine Famine of 1932-1933, known as the Holodomor, and underscoring the threat of Russia’s current war on Ukraine to the existence of the Ukrainian people and global food security. The resolution comes in advance of negotiations over a bipartisan supplemental funding package to support key national security priorities, including aid for Ukraine.

“The Ukrainian people are no strangers to the cruel will of a Russian dictator. Ninety years ago, a Soviet-imposed famine killed millions. Today, Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked assault has not only brought hunger to millions but also threatened the very existence of Ukraine. As we mark the anniversary of the Holodomor, we also need to recognize Ukraine’s current peril and continue helping them win,” said Wicker.

“90 years ago, millions of Ukrainians lost their lives because of Joseph Stalin’s forced famine,” said Kaine. “Today, Russia’s war on Ukraine is having devastating impacts on the Ukrainian people and global food supply. We must remember the victims and survivors of the Holodomor, condemn Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine and his weaponization of hunger, and continue to support Ukraine’s right to defend itself against Russian aggression.”

Russia’s war in Ukraine has strangled Ukraine’s ability to export much-needed wheat. As the producer of roughly a fifth of the world’s high-grade wheat, Ukraine has historically played an outsized role in the global food supply. The ongoing war and Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Deal, which allowed international shipments of corn, wheat, barley, and other food products from three ports in Ukraine, is causing prices for grains to soar around the world, threatening to put millions of people in countries dependent on Ukraine’s food exports in danger, and devastating Ukraine’s economy.

The number of people around the world facing acute food insecurity greatly increased from 193 million in 2021 to 258 million in 2022. Last year, approximately 35 million people experienced emergency levels of acute food insecurity, which is just one step away from famine. These figures are expected to worsen for 2023.

The full text of the resolution can be found here.