Live Blog: Ukraine In Crisis (Archive)

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and his wife, Maryna, pay their respects to the victims of the Holodomor:

Here's a news item from RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service on Holodomor events today:

Ukraine Commemorates Victims Of Holodomor Famine

Ukraine is marking an official Day of Remembrance for the victims of the Holodomor on November 26, commemorating the millions who died of famine under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

Flags are flying at half-mast and entertainment events have been canceled.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroysman, representatives from Ukraine's churches, and envoys from various countries will attend a ceremony to honor the victims.

There will also be a nationwide minute of silence observed at 4 pm local time.

Alexander Wienerberger was recruited into the army of the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I. In 1915, he was taken prisoner in Russia and ended up staying in the U.S.S.R. until 1934. Later, he worked as a chemical engineer specializing in explosives, and he established chemical factories in the Soviet Union. In 1933, he was assigned as technical director of a synthetic factory in Kharkiv and became witness to the man-made famine orchestrated by the Soviet government, the Holodomor. His photographs -- made with a Leica camera -- are some of about 100 images verified to be authentic portrayals of those harrowing events. The captions are based on the photographer's own notes.

The official Day of Remembrance for the victims of the famine is marked every year on the fourth Saturday of November.

The Holodomor took place in 1932 and 1933 as Soviet authorities forced peasants in Ukraine to join collective farms by requisitioning their grain and other foodstuffs.

Historians say the failure to properly harvest crops in 1932 under Soviet mismanagement was the main cause of the famine.

It is estimated that as many as 9 million people may have died as a result of executions, deportation, and starvation during the Stalin-era campaign.