{"id":1315376,"date":"2025-11-03T12:44:06","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T10:44:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/kremlin-horror-stories-why-the-rada-should-immediately-adopt-the-law-on-the-language-charter\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T05:36:04","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T03:36:04","slug":"kremlin-horror-stories-why-the-rada-should-immediately-adopt-the-law-on-the-language-charter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/kremlin-horror-stories-why-the-rada-should-immediately-adopt-the-law-on-the-language-charter\/","title":{"rendered":"Kremlin Horror Stories: Why the Rada Is Still Afraid to Defend Ukraine\u2019s Language Front"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source: Author’s Facebook<\/a> page<\/em><\/p>\n

The issue is not about linguistics \u2014 it\u2019s about sovereignty. The Verkhovna Rada\u2019s hesitation to adopt Bill No. 14120 on the Language Charter plays straight into Moscow\u2019s hands. Every delay strengthens the Kremlin\u2019s favorite narrative: that Ukraine can\u2019t or won\u2019t defend its own cultural foundation. Attempts to block this law are not \u201cdebates about minority rights\u201d \u2014 they are deliberate, pro-Russian operations aimed at eroding Ukraine\u2019s statehood from within.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages<\/strong> is a Council of Europe document designed to protect linguistic diversity across the continent. Contrary to Russian propaganda, the Charter does not<\/strong> protect the rights of national minorities as such \u2014 it protects languages<\/strong> that are endangered or require special support.<\/p>\n

The Charter is not<\/strong> a benchmark of a country\u2019s \u201cEuropeanness\u201d or democratic maturity. Many EU member states \u2014 including Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Greece, Bulgaria, and Belgium<\/strong> \u2014 have never signed it, which has in no way affected their EU membership. Others, such as France<\/strong> and Italy<\/strong>, have signed but not ratified it. Needless to say, Russia<\/strong> has not signed the Charter either, though it routinely exploits the document to pressure Ukraine and other states.<\/p>\n

Ukraine<\/strong>, even under Kuchma<\/strong> and Tabachnyk<\/strong>, not only signed the Charter but also managed to ratify it twice<\/strong>. The first ratification law, adopted in 1999, was declared unconstitutional<\/strong> by the Constitutional Court<\/strong> in 2000. As a result, the Charter was ratified again<\/strong> in 2003.<\/p>\n\t\t