MOSCOW. July 22 (Interfax) - The Russian Federation Council intends to adopt a statement on Friday condemning discrimination against Russian-speaking people in Ukraine and calling on the international community to protect their rights.
"It is known that since 2014, the Ukrainian authorities have been waging an all-out assault on all fronts on the positions of ethnic Russians and the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine," Chairman of the Federation Council's Foreign Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachyov said at the committee's meeting on Wednesday.
"We'll suggest that our chamber adopt a statement in which we'll naturally assess the ongoing developments, which are discrimination against Russian-speaking residents of Ukraine. Among other factors, apart from the deprivation of this part of Ukrainian citizens of their rights, we'll also say that with such actions, the Ukrainian authorities are driving another nail into the Minsk Agreements," Kosachyov said.
Among other factors, the new law on education, due to take effect on September 1, 2020, is worsening the situation of Ukraine's Russian-speaking population, he said.
"The Russian-speaking population of Ukraine will enter a period of even more severe language discrimination in a little over a month," Kosachyov said.
However, education is not the only sector that experiences discrimination, he said.
"Significant restrictions have been imposed on the ability to broadcast programs, both television and radio, which are available to the Ukrainian population. Furthermore, access has been blocked to popular Internet sites, including Russian websites which broadcast in Russian. The import of Russian-language literature into Ukrainian territory has also been restricted," Kosachyov said.
"If with one hand, they try to force residents of the southeast to return to Ukraine, but make such decisions with the other hand, this is certainly a factor that will only further disintegrate Ukraine and won't facilitate the settlement of this conflict in any way," he said.
In their statement, Russian senators plan to call on the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe high commissioner on national minorities, the Council of Europe commissioner for human rights, and the parliaments of European states to protect the rights of Ukraine's Russian-speaking population, Kosachyov said.
The committee approved the statement and suggested including it on the agenda of the chamber's plenary session on Friday.