Politics

01 October, 2026 / 17:46

/ 19 April, 2025

Moldovan head of state delivers message on Famine of 1946 – 1947

President Maia Sandu has conveyed a message in the context of commemorating the victims of the famine caused by the Soviet regime in 1946 – 1947.

"Our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents had even their last grain of wheat taken from their attics, leaving them to die of hunger. This was a deliberate gesture, a barbaric way of subjugating the population," the head of state said.

The Moldovan president noted that, for decades, this tragedy had been passed over in silence. But collective memory cannot be erased and the truth must be told, Maia Sandu stressed.

"We cannot build a just future without acknowledging the injustices of the past and without keeping alive the memory of the hundreds of thousands of people killed by this crime. Hunger did not ask what language its victims spoke or what blood they carried," said the head of state.

The president emphasized that the country’s duty, as a united society, was to defend the truth, stand on the side of good and build the future with dignity, in peace, in a Moldova where such horrors will never again be possible.

According to the National Archives Agency, the famine of 1946-1947 was one of the greatest humanitarian catastrophes which hit the current territory of the Republic of Moldova in the 20th century. It was not an unavoidable natural disaster, but a tragedy exacerbated by the authoritarian and repressive policies of the Soviet regime. According to data provided by the National Archives Agency, in just a few months, more than123,000 people died of hunger, accounting for about 5 per cent of the population of the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic. Proportionally, Soviet Moldova was the worst hit region in the entire Soviet Union, with a death rate ten times higher than in Russia and five times higher than in Ukraine.

Comment

Latest News

New U.S. Ambassador to Moldova Joseph Mark Burkhalter presents copies of credentials

European Commissioner at Moldova Business Week 2026: Whoever invests in Moldova today is investing in European success story

VIDEO // Speaker - one year after parliamentary elections: We have made faster progress than ever on path to joining European Union

Foreign Minister: 868 Moldovan citizens in Canada benefited from consular services through the “Embassy Comes Closer to You” Program

Deputy Prime Minister to visit Canada: talks on strengthening bilateral relations and developing economic partnerships

Prime Minister’s speech at UN: We have realistic path to build country our children will not have to leave in search of new opportunities

Prime Minister: Our ambition is clear: to firmly anchor Moldova in European family

PM: We want peaceful reintegration of country

VIDEO // Republic of Moldova presents candidacy for presidency of 82nd session of UN General Assembly

VIDEO // Message in Romanian delivered by Prime Minister from UN rostrum

PHOTO // U.S. Ambassador-designate to Moldova arrives in Chisinau

Moldovan Prime Minister holds talks with Croatian and Slovenian counterparts

VIDEO // Prime Minister for Fox News Podcasts: Moldova can be export and trade hub for entire region

Moldovan foreign affairs minister at UN says Moldova strengthening capacity to respond to health threats

Stronger city halls, three regions and new municipality: Government presents concept for reorganizing second-tier local public administration

New working session of special commission on reintegration policies of Moldova

Ministry of Labour nominates winners of 2026 National Award for Seniors

MOLDPRES INTERVIEW // Ambassador Zhihua Dong: Moldova's European integration opens up new opportunities for cooperation. China promoting direct freight route

Seven students of Moldova's Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy to receive state merit scholarships

Moldovan Parliament to host 109th Rose-Roth Seminar of NATO Parliamentary Assembly

VIDEO // Government proposes replacing 32 districts with three regions: north, center and south

Foreign Ministry summons Russia’s Ambassador after several drones violated Moldova’s airspace

CEC: 15 candidates enter race for mayoral positions in November local elections

Prime Minister: Financial stability must be transformed into investment and economic growth

European Commissioner begins visit to Moldova with meeting with President

Parliamentary activity in September: five plenary sessions held and 30 laws and decisions adopted

Speaker after drone explosion in Ivancea: We categorically condemn and will continue to condemn every illegal overflight of our airspace

Moldovans who worked in Slovakia to be able to combine pension insurance periods

Former Victoriabank vice-president to stand trial for complicity in fraud and money laundering

Police complete investigation at site of drone explosion in Ivancea

See more