Every year, on the fourth Saturday of November, Ukraine commemorates the victims of the Holodomor-genocide of 1932–1933 and great artificial famines of 1921–1923 and 1946–1947.
On the eve of the commemoration, the academic community of the University organized a requiem in the main building of Lviv Polytechnic and joined the nationwide initiative – lighting candles in memory of Ukrainians who died of terrible starvation as a result of the actions of the criminal communist regime.
In his speech, Yurii Bobalo, Rector of Lviv Polytechnic National University, emphasized that deep historical wounds are being further aggravated by the war. He stressed that it is our duty to preserve history and remember those terrible events:
– History must be known, and most importantly – remembered, especially the history of Ukraine. There are things that can never be forgiven. There is something that Ukrainians died and are dying for – the freedom and independence of our nation. The goal of the Holodomor was the complete destruction of the peasantry, because in the Soviet Union it was believed that this stratum of the population was the force that threatened the existence of the Soviet Union. And a decision was made: if it interferes, it must be destroyed. We know and remember the law that came out in 1933, about the five ears of grain, according to which a person had no right to pick up an ear of grain or any other food from the ground. For this, the «perpetrator» could be imprisoned for 10 years or killed. We must remember this to prevent such crimes from happening again. Those executors of criminal orders are no longer here, but the regime remains. Now it is not called Stalin’s regime, but Putin’s. And he wants to destroy not only our ethnic group, but also Ukraine – as a state, and Ukrainians – as a nation...
Musical compositions, including works by Myroslav Skoryk, were performed by the Polyphonia Chamber Orchestra.
Bohdan Levyk, doctor of historical sciences, initiated the exhibition «They are killing us because we are Ukrainians. He told in more detail about the exhibition and emphasized the consequences of the human tragedy of that time:
― The exhibition consists of 15 thematic banners covering the events of 1932–33. In fact, every Ukrainian should understand that knowledge of history is an identification of his nationality.
According to the Lviv Polytechnic tradition, at the end of the requiem, University employees and students lit candles in memory of the Holodomor victims and placed them on the stairs in front of the entrance to the main building.
