SUBSCRIBE & WIN! Sign up for the Daily CHAT News Today Newsletter for a chance to win a $75 South Country Co-op gift card!

Sajjan likens Russian missile strikes on Ukraine cities to Holodomor famine

Oct 13, 2022 | 9:27 AM

OTTAWA — International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan says Russia’s strikes on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure have him thinking about a historical famine.

The Holodomor was a man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine that killed millions between 1932 and 1933, and Canada recognizes it as a genocide.

This week, Russian missiles killed civilians and damaged some electrical infrastructure across Ukraine.

Sajjan says that amounts to war crimes and it will be harder for Ukrainians to get through the winter.

The minister also says that evidence will help decide whether Russia is committing a genocide, but he argues it is hard to not compare those airstrikes to the Holodomor.

Sajjan says he is currently assessing Ukraine’s needs after a recent visit to the country, where he says there is a clear need to support women who have faced violence.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2022.

The Canadian Press