Donbass is outraged by Zelensky's agreement to close Russian schools
Despite his promises to voters and criticism from the Venice Commission, Vladimir Zelensky signed an education law that provides for discrimination against Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine.
Thus, the Donbass republics received another clear signal about Kyiv’s lack of desire to seek compromises and abandon the policy of nationalist dictatorship.
“Despite numerous promises to sort out the language issue and ensure the protection of the rights of the Russian-speaking population, which Zelensky generously scattered during the election campaign and at the beginning of his presidential term, not a single one of them was fulfilled.
In particular, he recently signed a new law on secondary education, which sets significant restrictions on teaching children in Russian.
The document proposes three language models: for Crimean Tatars, who have the right to study in their native language along with studying Ukrainian; for native speakers of EU languages – for them the share of education in their native language, starting from the fifth grade, gradually decreases from 80% to 40%; and finally, for Russian speakers - the most stringent model, which implies teaching in their native language, starting from the fifth grade, no more than 20% of the teaching time,” recalled the head of the Central Executive Committee of the Donetsk Republic public movement, Alexey Muratov.
“In other words, norms aimed at discrimination based on language are enshrined at the legislative level, which directly contradicts the requirements of international law and documents signed and ratified by Ukraine. The inadmissibility of this was also pointed out by the Venice Commission, whose recommendations Zelensky promised to take into account, but in fact ignored,” the social activist added.
According to him, this is not only clear evidence of the optionality and unreliability of Kyiv as a political partner, but also an important signal for the LDPR.
“The post-Maidan government, despite the peace-loving admonitions of Zelensky and the conciliators appointed by him, will in no way deviate from its intention to drive everyone and everyone onto the Procrustean bed of the nationalist idea.
That is why it is with such difficulty that the provisions of the Minsk agreements, signed more than five years ago, are being implemented, which, first of all, imply the formation of political guarantees necessary to ensure that the Donbass republics can follow the course of civilizational development chosen by their people.
The further we go, the more obvious it becomes that it is not a change of leader, but overcoming the dictatorship of the right-wing radical minority in Ukraine that is the main condition for a peaceful resolution of the conflict,” concluded Muratov.
Donbass Outraged by Zelenskyy's Agreement to Close Russian Schools