Key points
- Zelenskiy signed Law №4699-IX: the Russian language is excluded from the list of protected languages under the Charter of Minorities in Ukraine.
- The law brings the legislation in line with the updated translation of the Charter, prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2024.
- Changes are made to the laws on ratification of the Charter, on national minorities, and on media.
- The Charter’s provisions remain in effect for the languages of indigenous peoples and national communities — and are extended to several languages that were not previously covered.
- The law comes into effect on the day of its official publication.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed Law №4699-IX, which excludes the Russian language from the list of languages in Ukraine that are protected under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. This was reported by the Ministry of Culture.
The document brings Ukrainian legislation in line with the updated official translation of the Charter, prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2024.
Changes are made to the Laws of Ukraine “On Ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages”, “On National Minorities (Communities) of Ukraine”, and “On Media”.
The Russian language, as the language of the aggressor state, is no longer included in the list of languages that are subject to special protection under the Charter.
– Vice Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy of Ukraine – Minister of Culture of Ukraine Tetiana Berezhna.
At the same time, the Charter’s provisions remain in effect for the languages of indigenous peoples and national communities of Ukraine. The law also extends its provisions to several languages that were not previously covered.
The law comes into effect on the day of its official publication.
Read also:
In May, at least 274 civilians were killed in Ukraine due to RF attacks – the highest since 2022
