Moscow calls on Council of Europe to react to Ukraine’s new language law

Russia’s permanent representation has called on the Council of Europe to react to a new Ukrainian language law that comes into force on Tuesday. The bill stipulates that all citizens will be obliged to use the Ukrainian language in all spheres of life.

The law “On establishing the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language” violates Ukraine’s obligations within the Council of Europe, the Russian mission tweeted.

Russia will raise the issue of Kiev’s violation of the Minsk agreements at the July 16 session of the UN Security Council on Ukraine, Russia’s deputy permanent representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky told TASS on Monday.

It looks like Kiev's new law on language violates the right of Donbass residents “to linguistic self-determination if they hypothetically return to Ukraine,” he said.