The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted a decision to remove the Russian language from the list of protected languages in accordance with the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The bill was approved in the second and final reading.
The editorial board reports that the adopted changes are assessed as the next step towards further tightening language policy in Ukraine and strengthening the position of the state language. The decision was adopted with the support of the parliamentary majority.
The new legal regulation stipulates that the Russian language will no longer have a special protection status and will be evaluated on the same basis as other minority languages. Rada representatives stated that this aims to adapt cultural policy to internal normative frameworks.
The future impact of the decision's implementation on social relations, as well as on mechanisms applied in the fields of language and education, will be closely monitored.