A remnant of reporting the episode is the word kulacks which can be found in todays dictionaries. Thank you New York Times; Durante.
Which is how Stalin described those who were against his collectization pogrom. It meant “fist” and described as the fist held against the throats of the proletariat. Because they were “hoarding” food.
Yes, it means fist but I heard it was in reference to the closed fist of someone who would not share their produce. But who knows? I do not know a word of Russian.
The New York Times has been the enemy of humanity for as long as it has existed.