Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine

by Anne Applebaum

As their numbers increased dramatically, the Soviet government finally declared there could no longer be any doubt: “the flight of villagers and the exodus from Ukraine last year and this year is [being] organized by the enemies of the Soviet government…and agents of Poland with the goal of spreading propaganda among the peasants.” A solution was found. In January 1933, Stalin and Molotov simply closed the borders of Ukraine. Any Ukrainian peasant found outside the republic was returned to his or her place of origin. Train tickets were no longer sold to Ukrainian villagers. Only those who had permission could leave home—and permission was, of course, denied.66 The borders of the heavily Ukrainian North Caucasus district were also closed, and in February the Lower Volga district was also blocked.67 The border closures remained in place throughout the famine.