KIEV, Nov. 28 ??“ Parliament voted Tuesday to approve legislation declaring the Great Famine of 1932-1933 as genocide imposed by Soviet leaders against the Ukrainian people. It also declared that public denial of the genocide is illegal.

The vote may trigger an angry reaction from Russia, which has been persistently refusing to recognize the massive deaths of people from starvation in Ukraine in 1932-1933 as genocide.

The vote is a victory for President Viktor Yushchenko, who has been urging lawmakers to recognize that Soviet rulers have deliberately targeted Ukrainians to weaken their resistance to Communism.

???The president believes that today??™s decision is a historical act by which Ukrainian Parliament repaid its debts by remembering generations that have failed to survive the Famine,??? Ivan Vasiunyk, a deputy chief of staff at the Yushchenko administration, said.

The vote was approved by 233 lawmakers in 450-seat Parliament after the pro-government coalition had split and the Socialist Party, a member of the coalition, joined forces with two opposition groups to approve the legislation.

The Regions Party, the leading group in the coalition, and the Communist Party, a small coalition partner, have refused to support the draft, underscoring the split.

The issue is very sensitive as Russia, the successor to the Soviet Union, has been persistently denying that the famine, known in Ukraine as Holodomor, had been imposed specifically against Ukrainians. Between seven and ten millions of Ukrainian are thought to have died due to the famine in 1932-1933, according to historians.

The vote in Parliament may trigger an angry reaction from Russia and could lead to repercussions.

???We tried to explain to our Ukrainian colleagues that issues of this sort must be reviewed by professional historians within bilateral meetings,??? Mikhail Kamynin, a spokesman at the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Interfax after the vote. ???This issue must not be politicized.???

Vasyl Tsushko, the leader of the Socialist group in Parliament, tried to downplay the split in the pro-government coalition, insisting that the vote must recognize the tragedy. ???The Socialists backed the historical truth, not any party,??? Tsushko said. (tl/ez)