). Anyone found possessing government crops was considered an "enemy of the people" and was subject to execution (Altman 45).All food was forcefully removed from Ukrainian villages. Food was so scarce that people began eating anything they could find: roots, bark, corn stalks, clover, even tadpoles (Procyk 31). Dogs and cats quickly became less likely to be seen roaming the streets and more likely to be seen on the dinner table. When Soviet officials became aware that pets were being eaten, they too were removed ("Spiking the Ukrainian Famine, Again" 33). Nightingales, the Ukrainian symbol, were trapped in large quantities and slaughtered by the Secret Police ("Spiking the Ukrainian Famine, Again" 33). The food shortage was not due to uncontrollable circumstances, but was calculatingly formulated and carried through by the Soviets.As the situation grew more desperate, some Ukrainians were forced to resort to cannibalism. For some, when worse came to worst, a deceased family member was their only chance for survival. One man recalls seeing a woman selling jellied meats on a street corner. A gentleman bought a portion for fifty rubles and began eating when he discovered a human finger embedded in the jelly. He began shouting and took her to the police station. Instead of taking action against her, two officers laughed and said, "What, have you killed a kulak? Good for you!" They let her go (Procyk 33). Sixty-five years ago this would have been the common response by many Soviets, who put only trivial value on the lives of Ukrainian farmers.To prevent Ukrainians from leaving their famished villages, strict boundaries were enforced. The Ukrainian-Russian border was completely sealed, prohibiting any Ukrainian citizens access to thriving Russian cities a few hundred yards across the border. Anyone caught violating these boundaries was executed, in an attempt by the Soviet Union to make the survival of Ukrainian peasants imposs...
