Ukraine ? Parliament adopted a bill Tuesday recognizing the Soviet-era forced famine as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian people in a vote seen as a victory for pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko.

The bill passed in a vote of 233-1, a small majority in the 450-seat legislature. Many lawmakers chose not to participate in the vote, choosing silence on a highly divisive issue.

The 1932-33 famine, known here as “Holodomor” or “Death by Hunger,” was orchestrated by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin and killed 10 million Ukrainians, almost one-third of its population at the time.

The recognition opens the door to potential legal consequences, including compensation for famine victims and recognition of the famine by the United Nations as genocide against Ukrainian people.

Ten countries, including the United States, have already recognized the famine as genocide.

Moscow strongly opposes calling the famine genocide, contending that it did not specifically target Ukrainians.