The population of Melnyky village of Chyhyryn district of Cherkassy region suffered from the Holodomor-genocide of 1932-1933 – about 300 people died. Surnames and names of 185 died of hunger were established. In the village there are three places of mass burial of victims of the Holodomor-genocide of 1932-1933. One of them is located on an old cemetery.
In spring of 1933, more than 180 people died in Melnyky village. The mother of Odarka Pylypivna Drobna hid the wheat in the pots, having filled them for the half and put them behing the chimney. The beans were hidden in the gloves. However, the members of grain procurement campaign, who came to them, took away everything, even the cooked porridge and the pot.
During the Holodomor-genocide, the family of Pylyp Vasiura, the father of Odarka, lost four family members. Two girls survived, because, according to their words, they were going for the milk to their godparents. In the majority of cases, they drank the milk by themselves and brought home less than half of it, “stealing” it from the rest of the family members.
In spring of 1933, Paraska Ivanivna Shved lost her four siblings. They were buried in the garden, because the cart, which was collecting the dead bodies all around the village, did not have time to carry everyone to the cemetery. Somebody asked to come later, because the person was alive that day, but the next day he or she would be dead definitely.
There were eleven children in the family of Kyrylo Zadoia. Seven of them died. Four were buried at the cemetery, three were buried near the house.
Sometimes, people who did not endure the constant presence of the death, committed the acts of suicide. When Pylyp Demianovych Kozyr died, his daughter, already swallowing of starvation, killed herself.
Hungry inhabitants of Melnyky were eating acacia flowers, linden leaves, potato skins, rotten cabbage; they pounded the corn ears and stems. However, such food did not save the people. Whole families were dying.
People committed cannibalism because of starvation and despair. It is known about three such cases in Melnyky village. In two cases, the mothers ate their children, in third case the women ate someone else’s child (5-years-old boy).