Members of Saskatchewan’s Ukrainian community gathered at the Legislative Building Tuesday to commemorate the millions who died during the 1932-33 famine in Ukraine referred to as the Holodomor.

A memorial candle was lit and will remain lit throughout the week as it is Holodomor Memorial Week. The candle represents unity with those around the world marking the Holodomor genocide.

Legislative Secretary Responsible for Saskatchewan-Ukrainian Relations Terry Dennis says the Great Famine is still felt by the Ukrainian community 90 years later.

The word Holodomor means extermination by hunger in Ukrainian. In 1932 and 1933, the man-made famine engineered by the Soviet government resulted in the deaths of millions of people. Crops were taken and regulations were imposed preventing people from leaving their homes in search of food.