In Russia, officials claim that Ukraine’s so-called “denazification” allegedly involves repealing language laws
Rodion Miroshnik, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the so-called “denazification” of Ukraine, which Moscow insists on, allegedly provides for the repeal of laws that, according to the Kremlin, discriminate against the Russian-speaking population.
This is reported by Russian media.
“When we talk about denazification, we are talking precisely about repealing discriminatory laws regarding the use of language and freedom of religion. All of these are things that are being artificially intensified today by the Ukrainian side with one goal only — simply, so to speak, to change or substitute people’s self-identification,” Miroshnik said.
He repeated a Kremlin propaganda narrative, calling the Russian language “native” to Ukrainians.
“Therefore, when we talk about eliminating the root causes of the ‘conflict’ for the sake of long-term settlement, such things as the persecution of a native language must be excluded. This refers both to eliminating discriminatory laws regarding the Russian language and bans on speaking, studying in Russian, and so on,” he added.
At the same time, the issue of the activities of the Moscow Church and the status of the Russian language were not raised during peace negotiations. The text of the 20-point peace plan states that Ukraine is ready to assume obligations to protect language rights and freedom of religion in accordance with European Union standards.
“As of today, this point sounds like this. We are moving toward the European Union, so we will introduce all EU rules regarding religious tolerance and the protection of minority languages. And let them introduce these rules as well — if they dare. Because today this does not exist in Russia — there is no real respect for religious and linguistic minorities,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized while commenting on the 13th point of the peace agreement.
Ultimately, the Kremlin will have to make compromises on demands it has insisted on for a long time, including those that are incompatible not only with the latest 20-point peace plan, but also with the previous 28-point one.
Recall that Moscow is once again expressing disagreement with possible adjustments by the American side to the version of the peace agreement with Ukraine, especially regarding the “territorial issue.”
