Russia censures Ukrainian parliament

Russia says the Ukrainian parliament seeks to pass laws that will infringe upon rights of ethnic Russians and other ethnic minorities in Ukraine.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow was suspicious about the recent decisions taken by the Ukrainian parliament with regard to ethnicities.

Moscow warned over calls to “nearly ban” the Russian language, eliminate parties and organizations, close media outlets, and lift curbs on neo-Nazi propaganda, saying such moves pose a threat to peace and social security.

The statement also accused Ukraine’s new leaders of launching a “dictatorial” campaign against Russian-speaking people.

Mikhail Dobkin, governor of Ukraine’s eastern region that includes Kharkiv, where many Ukrainians speak Russian as their first language, also denounced the decision to downgrade the status of Russian as an official second language as “fascist.”

According to some sources, the head of the Freedom Party, Oleg Tyagnibok, has recently told his supporters in Kiev that the use of Russian language should be criminalized and all ethnic Russians should be stripped of citizenship.

Russia summoned its ambassador to Ukraine on February 23 to discuss what Moscow called the “deteriorating situation” in Kiev. The call came a day after Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted by the parliament.