Kyiv To Challenge Moves To Elevate Russian Language
April 28, 2006 -- President Viktor Yushchenko has asked Ukraine's
Justice Ministry and the Prosecutor-General's Office to look into the
legality of recent local-government decisions granting Russian the
status of a regional language.
So far, two local administrations -- the eastern region of Luhansk and
the city of Sevastopol, in the Crimea -- have tried to elevate the
status of Russian.
Both regions have a predominantly Russian-speaking population.
Yushchenko's deputy chief-of-staff, Anatoliy Matviyenko, said on April
28 that the moves breach Ukraine's constitution, which states that
Ukrainian is the sole state language.
The status of the Russian language has become one of the most
politically divisive issues in Ukraine.
THIS WILL HAPPEN ONE DAY, SOONER THAN YOU THINK, IN THE REGIONS OF THE
US WHERE SPANISH SPEAKERS ARE THE DEMOGRAPHIC MAJORITY.
The pro-Moscow Party of Regions, which won the most votes in last
month's parliamentary election, campaigned on a promise to make Russian
a second state language.
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