INTERNATIONAL – Ukraine is pursuing its policy of “de-Russification” . A year after the start of the war caused by the invasion of the Russian army , Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed two laws on Friday April 21 aimed at eradicating references to Moscow in the country.
The first, as the New York Times explains, concerns the ban on using Russian names for public places, cities, dates, events to avoid any promotion of this culture that has so permeated the country. In fact, this policy was already underway: in kyiv, for example, a statue of Soviet pilot Valery Chkalov was dismantled.
In January, RFI also points out , more than 100,000 people signed a petition to rename Kiev’s Leon-Tolstoy Square as a Hero of Ukraine Square. In addition, since 2022, a law passed by the Ukrainian Parliament restricts the dissemination of Russian culture. It particularly concerns books and music .
De-Russification continues
“According to the law, the imperial policy of Russia is called criminal and is condemned, and any propaganda of this policy and its symbols is prohibited,” the Ukrainian parliament, the Rada, posted on its Telegram account after the promulgation of the text which should enter into force within three months.
After this period, “government bodies and military administrations will have six months to rid the public space of symbols of the Russian world” , it is specified in this message.
Furthermore Volodymyr Zelensky, himself Russian-speaking, has signed a second law which toughens access to Ukrainian citizenship . To obtain it, it will now be necessary to pass an exam to show its knowledge of the Ukrainian language, as well as the Constitution and the history of the country.
Source: Huffington Post
