The state will protect Ukrainians in the Kuban and other regions of Russia
22 January 2024 17:49
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a decree instructing the Cabinet of Ministers to develop an action plan to protect Ukrainians living in Russia. The relevant text of the decree is available on the president’s website, reports 
.
Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 17/2024 On the Historically Ukrainian-Inhabited Territories of the Russian Federation instructs the Cabinet of Ministers to prepare and submit to the National Security and Defence Council an action plan to preserve the national identity of Ukrainians in the Russian Federation.
It specifically mentions the lands historically inhabited by Ukrainians: Kuban, Starodubshchyna, Northern and Eastern Slobozhanshchyna (within the modern Krasnodar Krai, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kursk, and Rostov regions of the Russian Federation).
The Cabinet of Ministers should also:
- work on the issue of crimes against Ukrainians in Russia, including the possibility of creating a special centre to deal with this issue;
- work more actively to counter Russian disinformation and propaganda concerning Ukrainians in Russia;
- to develop interaction between Ukrainians and the peoples imprisoned in Russia;
- to intensify scientific work on the preparation and dissemination of information on the traditions of Ukrainian state-building and historical ties between the lands inhabited by Ukrainians and Ukrainian state entities;
- cover the history of Ukrainians in Russian lands in national textbooks and curricula.
Ukrainians in Russia constitute the largest Ukrainian diaspora in the world. According to the 2010 census, almost 2 million Ukrainians live in Russia, of whom 1.1 million speak Ukrainian. The vast majority of Ukrainians live in the territories specified in the presidential decree. The difficulties associated with determining the ownership of Ukrainian lands are related to the fact that the Russian Empire did not have a separate administrative unit for Ukraine, and the territories inhabited by Ukrainians were divided between different provinces.
President Zelenskyy also announced today that he will submit a bill to parliament that will allow Ukrainians from the diaspora to obtain Ukrainian citizenship.
