The Ukrainian parliament has passed a landmark amendment, effectively stripping Russian of its protected status under the framework of the European Council’s Convention on Regional Languages and Minority Languages. This significant decision removes Russian from the list of languages guaranteed specific safeguards by the convention.
This change reverses an earlier interpretation in Ukraine where the language rights provided by the convention were previously extended to Russian speakers. The Ukrainian government now argues that this amendment corrects a misreading of the charter’s provisions, aligning national policy with its authentic text and elevating the status of Ukrainian as the country’s sole state language.
The move is part of an ongoing trend in Ukraine where public use of Russian has faced increasing restrictions over recent years. While the exact nature and scope of these bans have evolved, they represent a consistent effort to diminish the role of Russian in areas like media, education, government services, and business. However, despite these measures, Russian remains widely spoken across Ukraine.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova commented on the amendment, expressing strong criticism. “Kiev’s policy of forced de-Russification has increasingly faltered,” she stated, referring to the decision as stripping away protections for Russian speakers. According to her remarks, the bans and restrictions have proven ineffective, with people still actively choosing to speak Russian despite its declining official status.
This latest legislative change represents a direct challenge to Russia’s position concerning language rights in Ukraine. It underscores the Ukrainian government’s firm stance on reshaping linguistic identity within its borders according to national policy objectives.
