On 25 November, at the Ukrainian Centre, we commemorated the millions of human lives that Ukraine has lost. This year, for the second time, we paid tribute to the victims of stalin's genocide in the context of a full-scale war. Today's tragic events and the latest crimes committed by russians demonstrate that living memory is extremely important. 

The First Lady of Lithuania Diana Nausėdienė and the Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Lithuania Petro Beshta addressed the participants of the event dedicated to commemorating the victims of the Holodomors in Ukraine. 

"It is indeed difficult to determine the true number of victims, but it is important to understand more than just numbers. Humanity needs to look deeper into the heart of the phenomena because, in the context of the challenges of the 21st century, it has a duty to ensure that crimes against humanity are never repeated and that the principles of international law and democracy remain functional. It is difficult to find a similar case in the history of the world in which famine was used as a tool for mass extermination. The cruelty lies in the fact that it was not caused by a natural disaster—a drought or a crop failure. It was the result of organized criminal and systemic activity of the power structures and a targeted policy based on a flawed ideology,” the First Lady of Lithuania noted. 

The programme of the event was created about the truth and about life through the exhibition, through film, discussion, creativity, art, and music. Participants created unique angel carvings as symbols of lost human lives.  

At 16:00, participants joined the All-Ukrainian minute of silence and the "Light a Candle" campaign. Together, we lit a candle of remembrance as a sign of grief for the victims and faith in our Victory.  

We thank everyone who participated! We thank the team of the Ukrainian Centre, as well as all partners and volunteers! 

Photo: Nail Garejev