Special report of the GPU of the Ukrainian SSR "On the problems in Ukraine". February 19, 1934

Archive: CA FSB of Russia. F. 3. Op. 1. D. 780. L. 145-148. Certified copy.

№ 360

Special report of the GPU of the Ukrainian SSR “On the difficulties in Ukraine” 270

Top secret

Recently, 166 villages in 46 districts of Ukraine, including in the Kyiv region, have been again covered by food difficulties. 58 villages in 16 districts, in Kharkov respectively 31 and 11, Donetsk - 29 and 1, Vinnitsa - 23 and 6, Chernihiv - 17 and 8, Odessa - 8 and 4.

In some places, the difficulties took on acute forms, the number of facts of diseases, swelling and death from starvation increased. In the Kyiv region Problems in the last ten days of January were again noted in 58 villages in 16 districts, where 305 families were swollen and 15 people died of malnutrition. In the Lysyansky r. a group appeal of collective farmers to the board of collective farms with a request for assistance was noted.

In the Kharkov region 23 settlements were again covered by difficulties. In 8 villages of Lipovo-Dolinsky, Kupyansky, Lokhvitsky, Gadyachsky, B.-Pisarevsky, Kobelyaksky, Karlovsky and Lubensky districts, individual farmers eat all kinds of surrogates (husks, chaff, corn stalks and various garbage). In 10 villages, facts of diseases and swelling from hunger were noted.

Some kolkhozniks who are experiencing difficulties refuse to work and intend to leave the kolkhozes and go to work.

In B.-Pisarevsky r. on the basis of difficulties, cases of criminal manifestations increased. Recently, 4 armed robberies and more than 10 thefts have been registered, mainly of horses and cows.

In the Markovsky district Donetsk region 29 out of 40 collective farms were affected by difficulties, where 2620 families in the amount of 10,117 people need food. The collective farms most affected by the difficulties are: "13 years of October", where 300 families are starving with a total of 1135 eaters, "Chervona Zirka", respectively, 163 families with 714 eaters, them. Vorovsky - 160 and 629, "Perekop" - 132 and 461, [named after] Engels - 76 and 309.

In with. Kamenka On January 24, from eating cakes made from waste and wormwood, the family of the individual farmer Matasyev, consisting of 6 people, was poisoned. A medical study found that the poisoning was caused by ergot in the waste. The affected family received medical assistance.

In B.-Yanisolsky r. On the basis of food difficulties, exits from collective farms and departures of collective farmers to work intensified. Over the last 3 months 965 withdrawal applications were submitted for 40 collective farms.

in the Vinnitsa region. Difficulties were noted in 73 villages of Dzerzhinsky, Izyaslavsky, Peschansky, Makhnovsky, Mogilev and Lyakhovetsky districts. This number includes 13 border villages, where individual families of collective farmers and individual farmers are experiencing difficulties. In some families, there have been cases of swelling and death from starvation.

In the Chernihiv region food difficulties were again revealed in 17 villages of Ivanitsky, Putivl, Bereznyansky, Chernigov, Bakhmachsky, Repkinsky, Olishevsky and Semenovsky districts, and in Repkinsky and Olishevsky districts, a significant number of collective farmers and individual farmers are experiencing food difficulties. In the Bereznyansky r. the facts of the sale of residential buildings by collective farmers in order to buy bread with the proceeds were recorded.

In the Odessa region Prodifficulties began to spread on the collective farms that ended the economic year with low indicators, and the most acute nature of the prodifficulties took on 8 collective farms in the Khmelevsky, B.-Vyskovsky, Znamensky and Pervomaisky districts. In some families, gastric diseases and swelling were noted.

Some families of migrants who arrived at the collective farms both in an organized and unscheduled manner are also experiencing food difficulties. Three migrants died of gastric diseases. Among the migrants, there are tendencies to return to their homeland.

In a number of collective farms in the Khorlovsky, B.-Vyskovsky, Pervomaisky, B.-Aleksandrovsky, N.-Ukrainsky, and Bratsky districts, which came out with low indicators for the economic year, a drop in labor discipline is noted; part of the collective farmers do not show up for work and apply for withdrawal from the collective farms, joining the collective farms that came out with the best indicators of the economic year. Departure of collective farmers from the villages intensified. There are cases when collective farmers sell their livestock in order to buy bread. Some collective farmers turn to the boards of collective farms with requests for help.

Kozelsky

270 The organs of the OGPU had already recorded the facts of food difficulties in the Ukraine. Information about this, for example, is contained in the special report of the GPU of the Ukrainian SSR on the results of the financial year in a number of collective farms in the Donetsk region as of December 15, 1933 (CA FSB of Russia. F. 2. Op. 11. D. 1050. L. 183— 185), in a special report of the SPO OGPU on food difficulties in certain regions of Ukraine dated January 8, 1934 (Soviet village through the eyes of the Cheka-OGPU-NKVD. Vol. 3. Kn. 2. S. 507), in a special report of the SPO OGPU on Ukraine dated February 14, 1934 (Ibid., p. 524).