Day of Remembrance for Victims of Famine of 1946–1947 marked in Moldova

The victims of the famine of 1946–1947 are being commemorated today in the Republic of Moldova. This was one of the greatest humanitarian catastrophes to strike the territory of today’s Moldova.

According to historians, the famine was not caused only by the severe drought of those years, but was also amplified and used as an instrument of political terror against the population of the Moldavian SSR.


“The policy of forced requisition of agricultural products, unjustified overtaxation, corvée labor and deliberate deprivation of food especially affected Bessarabian villages, populated by peasants who represented the core of national traditions and identity. Families that failed to meet their tax obligations were punished by confiscation of property, deportations or imprisonment. In this context, the famine became a weapon used against the indigenous population, with the aim of destroying resistance to the Soviet regime and reshaping national identity,” historians state.


The victims of one of the most tragic chapters in the history of our nation – the organized famine of 1946–1947 – are commemorated annually on the third Saturday of April. This was one of the greatest humanitarian catastrophes to hit the territory of today’s Republic of Moldova in the 20th century.

According to data provided by the National Archives Agency, in just a few months more than 123,000 people died of hunger, which represented about 5% of the population of the MSSR. Proportionally, Soviet Moldova was the most affected region in the entire Soviet Union, with a mortality rate ten times higher than in Russia and five times higher than in Ukraine.

Throughout April, several commemorative events dedicated to the victims of the organized famine of 1946–1947 are held in the Republic of Moldova. The program includes photography exhibitions, documentary film screenings, workshops and thematic lessons, designed to inform the public about this historical event and to contribute to the preservation of collective memory. The commemorative activities will take place across the entire country and can be viewed here.