[PHOTOS] Ukrainians in Nairobi mark Holodomor genocide anniversary

The Embassy of Ukraine in Nairobi on Saturday marked the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor genocide in an event attended by several Ukrainians working and living in Kenya.

The event was another opportunity for Ukrainians and all invited guests, who included staff from various Embassies in Nairobi to pay tribute to victims of the Holodomor tragedy.

The commemorative service was held at the Orthodox Patriarchal Cathedral of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, in Valley road, Nairobi.

Ukrainians have since 2009 been holding the event every fourth Saturday of November to honour victims of the Holodomor genocide.

The Holodomor was mainly carried out by confiscation of food and agricultural products of farmers, quickly causing the outbreak of countrywide famine and as a result.

Between seven to around 10 million Ukrainians died by mainly starving to death. The number could be higher, according to some scholars.

Holodomor is a word derived from two Ukrainian words (Holod) hunger, and (mor) widespread death.

The artificially created famine (Holodomor) occurred in 1932–1933, over a period of nine months.

Following a decision by Joseph Stalin to collectivise agriculture in 1929, Communist Party agitators forced peasants to relinquish their land, personal property and sometimes housing to collective farms.

It sparked a series of peasant rebellions, including armed uprisings, in some parts of Ukraine.

As a retaliation towards Ukrainians, the leadership of the Soviet Communist Party took a series of decisions that deepened the famine in the Ukrainian countryside.

Farms, villages and whole towns in Ukraine were placed on blacklists and prevented from receiving food. Peasants were also forbidden to leave the territory of Ukraine in search of food.