The Croatian parliament recognized the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as genocide against the Ukrainian people, President Volodymyr Zelensky reported on June 28.
"I am grateful to the Republic of Croatia for this historic vote. The world will never put up with the crimes of the Kremlin – neither past nor present,” he wrote.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba thanked Croatia for "honoring the memory of millions of victims with this historic vote."
"The global recognition of the Holodomor genocide continues to grow swiftly," he wrote.
The man-made famine under Joseph Stalin's reign over the Soviet Union caused an estimated 3.5 to 5 million Ukrainian deaths. Some scholars say the number may have been as high as 10.5 million.
The Ukrainian government has been calling on the international community to recognize it as genocide.
As of now, 30 countries have declared Holodomor a genocide against Ukrainians.
Croatian government supported recognition of Holodomor as genocide on June 15, Luxembourg did it on June 13.
Belgium recognized the Holodomor as genocide on March 10, Iceland supported a resolution recognizing the Holodomor on March 23.
The Czech Republic did so in April 2022, Germany, Romania, and Ireland in November 2022, and Bulgaria in February 2023.
In December 2022, the European Parliament also officially recognized the Holodomor as a genocide and urged Russia to issue an official apology for the atrocities committed by the Soviet regime.
Croatia, a NATO and EU member, has supported Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression.
Zagreb has pledged to provide 14 Mi-8 helicopters to Kyiv, nine of which were reportedly delivered in May, and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has repeatedly visited Ukraine.
The support provided by Croatia's government stands in contrast with the stances of the country's President Zoran Milanović, who has criticized Western sanctions against Russia and denounced arms supplies for Ukraine.
Alexandra Keeler
