On November 28-29, 2009 the commemoration of the Holodomor victims of 1932-1933 will take place in Ukraine on nationwide level. The world community has already recognized the Holodomor as the ‘Genocide of the Ukrainians’. The Security Service of Ukraine made a significant contribution to the disclosure and highlighting of this crime. Our interview with the SSU Head Valentyn Nalyvaichenko on the eve of 76th anniversary of the tragedy is devoted to these events.
Mr. Nalyvaichenko, the Security Service is known to have undertaken major work in the examination and declassification of KGB archives concerning artificially organized famine in Ukraine in 1932-1933 by the communist regime. What is your personal attitude towards this matter?
The basic position of the Security Service is that there are no and there shouldn’t be any secrets concerning reestablishment of historical justice, understanding by citizens of the causes and consequences of the Genocide committed on the Ukrainian people. The Ukrainian special service has opened to the Ukrainian and world community all its archives covering the totalitarian epoch. The Holodomor became a national tragedy. During 1932-1933 one fifth of the Ukrainian peasants (about 10 million of the Ukrainians) perished. Ukraine still feels demographical, social and economic, historical and cultural consequences of these crimes.
However, what did become the main cause of the Holodomor and what was the aim of the communist leaders?
The national consciousness of the Ukrainians became a threat for the totalitarian communist regime at the beginning of the 30-s. The national intelligentsia was flourishing, Ukraine tried to conduct an independent policy aligned to its growing national consciousness. Peasants, who were the backbone of Ukraine provided a catalyst for the future development of national consciousness. That was why the terror provoked by the famine was deliberately organized in order to destroy the Ukrainian national ideal. By disrupting its social basis, demoralizing the intelligentsia and making of the surviving peasants of the famine obedient members of collective farms and the concentration of political power in Moscow was then able to play a decisive role in the fate of Ukrainians. That was why the Holodomor of 1932-1933 was the response of the Moscow communist authorities to the then Ukrainian national cultural and political development.
What exactly has the Security Service done to expose these events and what is it going to do next?
I can assure you that a careful and open examination of the Soviet state security bodies’ funding has been conducted for the first time since Ukrainian independence. This was done with the aim of finding the documents on the Holodomor history of 1932-1933. Themed exhibitions entitled: ‘Declassified memory’, where visitors could see documents and materials proving the full extent of the criminality of communist regime’s activities were presented in all the regions of Ukraine. Published documents are the original copies with signatures, with original seals both of communist leaders who gave instructions and all GPU bodies (the then punitive authority). The I&R centers with electronic copies of the declassified materials of that period were created in the most regions of Ukraine. The book The Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine in GPU and NKVD documents completely derived from archival documents was also published. A number of documentaries about that horrible tragedy were shot and they were based on our materials. Similar exhibitions were presented not only in Ukraine but also in the United States of America, Germany, Poland, Belgium, Greece, Ireland, and the Baltic states. The special operative and investigative group has been created in the Security Service of Ukraine. It carries out large-scale investigations into the criminal case surrounding the Genocide. The Party and Soviet leaders, officials of the State Security bodies have all been identified as the persons involved in the Holodomor and repressions. First of all, these individuals are the Party and State leaders of the USSR and the Ukrainian SSR Stalin, Molotov, Kahanovych, Kosior, Postyshev, and also the leaders of OGPU-NKVD Yahoda, Redens, Balytskyi and others. This work is ongoing and the public is informed via regular bulletins of its results. This process will continue until a “white page”, an undisclosed crime, an unconvicted torturer is exposed.
Valentyn Nalyvaichenko: “The work of the special operative and investigative group will continue until a “white page”, an undisclosed crime, an unconvicted torturer is in the history of our people”
- Mr. Nalyvaichenko, the Security Service of Ukraine displayed considerable competence in the investigation of the Holodomor as Ukrainian people Genocide in 1932-1933, but don’t you think this problem is just the Ukrainian domestic problem? What can you say about the impact of this tragic period of Ukrainian history might have on the world community?
- I can categorically confirm that the uncovering of the Holodomor tragedy coverage has never been only a domestic issue. As it was mentioned in the exhibition ‘Declassified Memory’ the consequences went way beyond the bounds of Ukraine. We have actively developed the cooperation with the representatives of Israeli Memorial Complex “Yad Vashem”, the Holocaust museum in Washington, the Institute of National Remembrance of the Republic of Poland, and other foreign historical research establishments in this field. The electronic versions of the exhibition ‘Declassified Memory’ and the collection of documents of the same name were delivered to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and were translated into the UN member-countries’ languages, with the aim of disseminating these materials in the parliaments, governmental establishments, among the public, in educational and scientific institutions of foreign countries. Requests from Australia, Kazakhstan, Canada, Germany and the USA for electronic copies of the SSU archival documents concerning the Holodomor and of the exhibition ‘Declassified Memory’ were forwarded to them with the aim of organizing similar activities abroad. The recognition of the Holodomor as the Genocide against Ukraine people has exceeded the bounds of our state long ago. On the state level the Holodomor of 1932-1933 has already been recognized as the Genocide of the Ukrainians by the parliaments of the USA, Canada, Australia, Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, Gorgia, Poland, Hungary, Argentina, Spain and other leading countries of the world.
- Do you think that the commemoration of the Holodomor victims is a uniting factor for the Ukrainians or vice versa can it be used for the polarization of the public?
- I’m absolutely sure that everything concerning the detection of criminal activities of the Holodomor organizers is very important for the further formation of the Ukrainian state. The truth in any legal state, especially in European ones like Ukraine determines the national identity that unites people.
- Completing our conversation what do you want to wish the Ukrainians on the eve of commemoration of the 76th anniversary of the Holodomor?
- Today, we should clearly realize that our own state is the main, indisputable and eternal value for all of us. Only the adoption of democratic values by an independent Ukraine will ensure that this tragedy will never happen again. And, while we are obliged to remember that the Ukrainian people paid a heavy price for the right to live, we must do everything to keep those terrible events in memory of present and future generations. I’m sure that our task is to elucidate the truth about our past and remember all those who were needlessly killed in order to keep this in the consciousness of every Ukrainian and the world community at large, with the aim of commemorating all those who died for Ukraine!