Here's more on the U.S. Senate's Holodomor resolution, courtesy of RFE/RL Washington correspondent Mark Najarian:
U.S. Senate Passes Resolution On Ukraine Famine, A Move Hailed by Kyiv
Ukraine's Holodomor Through An Austrian's Eyes
(Click on picture to open gallery. Warning: Contains images that some may find disturbing)
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate has backed a resolution on the 1930s-era Ukrainian famine known as the Holodomor, a move hailed by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
The Senate passed a "simple resolution" on October 3, commemorating the 85th anniversary of the famine of 1932-33, saying that the event "should serve as a reminder of repressive Soviet policies against the people of Ukraine."
Historians estimate as many as 9 million people died in the famine, which many Ukrainians consider to have been caused by Soviet central planners as an act of genocide, aimed at wiping out Ukrainian farmers.
In the U.S. Congress, simple resolutions are nonbinding, passed by only one chamber of Congress, and don't become law. Typically, they are used by lawmakers to usually back a pet project or endeavor, or a potentially political controversial issue without forcing a more public vote.
The resolution said the Senate recognized "the findings of the Commission on the Ukraine Famine, as submitted to Congress on April 22, 1988," that Soviet leader Josef Stalin "and those around him committed genocide against the Ukrainians in 1932–1933."
The Ukrainian Embassy in Washington described the resolution as the "first-ever legal act" of Congress recognizing the tragedy as a genocide, a highly charged term that is likely to anger Moscow.
Russian, and other historians, have stopped short of saying the famine was engineered to kill Ukrainians, noting that many other ethnic groups also suffered.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko hailed the resolution, writing on Facebook on October 4 that it was "another significant result of strengthening Ukraine-U.S. strategic partnership.”
"We hope that the rest of the world, including the EU, and international organizations, including the United Nations, will do the same," he added.
The office of Republican Senator Rob Portman, who sponsored the bill, did not immediately get back to RFE/RL for comment. The State Department also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Congress and individual states often pass resolutions that do not necessarily reflect overall U.S. policy.
The U.S. government has not recognized the Ukrainian famine as a "genocide," instead labeling it as a "criminal act of the Stalinist regime" against the people of Ukraine. The EU terms it an "appalling crime."
The Holodomor famine took place in 1932 and 1933 as Soviet authorities forced peasants in Ukraine to join collective farms by requisitioning their grain and other agricultural production.
Historians say the seizure of the 1932 crop by Soviet authorities was the main cause of the famine.
Along with Ukraine, at least 15 other countries have officially recognized Holodomor as "genocide."
Ukraine commemorates the event every November 28.
U.S. lawmakers have introduced similar resolutions in the past on politically charged historical events, like the massacre of Armenians in Turkey during World War I. Most historians and a growing number of countries consider the killings to constitute genocide.
But the measures have never passed a full vote in either the Senate or the House.
The White House, under pressure from Turkey, has stopped short of using the word "genocide" to describe the Ottoman-era massacre.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
We are now closing the live blog for today, but we'll be back again tomorrow morning to follow all the latest developments. Until then, you can keep up with all our other Ukraine coverage here.
Ukraine's Sentsov Reportedly Ends Hunger Strike After Four Months
BREAKING: Russian media reports quoting the country's prison service say Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov has halted his hunger strike after more than four months.
Sentsov, a Crimean native who opposed Russia's 2014 seizure of the Ukrainian peninsula, is serving a 20-year prison term after being convicted of terrorism in a trial that he, human rights groups, and Western governments contend was politically motivated.
More to follow.
Belarusian KGB Says Ukrainian Man Jailed For Espionage Could Be Pardoned
By RFE/RL's Belarus Service
The chief of Belarus's secret police, the KGB, says Ukrainian citizen Pavlo Sharoyko, who was sentenced to eight years in prison on espionage charges in May, could soon be pardoned.
Valery Vakulchyk told reporters in Minsk on October 5 that the possibility of pardoning Sharoyko's is currently under discussion.
Sharoyko was detained in October 2017 by the KGB under the accusation of being part of a spy ring working for Ukraine's Defense Ministry.
Kyiv denied the Belarusian accusations.
Ukraine and Belarus expelled each other's diplomats after Sharoyko's arrest.
Vakulchyk also said that Belarus expelled two foreigners for "spying activities earlier this week."
He did not specify the expelled individuals' nationalities.
With reporting by BelTA and Belapan
Ukraine's Sentsov Reportedly Ends Hunger Strike After Nearly Five Months
Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov, who was jailed in Russia on terrorism charges, has stopped his nearly five-month hunger strike, the deputy director of the Russian Penitentiary System (FSIN) said.
Valery Maksimenko said on October 5 that Sentsov agreed to start eating and that "Moscow diet experts have prepared a special diet for him to help him gradually start full-fledged food consumption."
Sentsov, a Crimean native who opposed Russia's 2014 takeover of the Ukrainian peninsula, is serving a 20-year prison term after being convicted of terrorism in a trial that he, human rights groups, and Western governments contend was politically motivated.
Imprisoned in the Far Northern Yamalo-Nenets region of Russia, Sentsov started a hunger strike on May 14, demanding that Russia release 64 fellow Ukrainians he considers political prisoners.
Sentsov has refused to seek a pardon from Russian President Vladimir Putin, maintaining his innocence.
Human Rights Watch, citing a lawyer for Sentsov, said last month that he agreed to begin taking an oral nutritional supplement at some point in the past two months, after suffering his first health crisis.
Diplomats, as well as film celebrities such as director Jean-Luc Godard and actor Johnny Depp, have all called for Sentsov's release.
During last month's Venice film festival, Hollywood stars urged Moscow not to let him die, and leading figures in the Russian film industry have also called for his release.