OREANDA-NEWS. May 27, 2008. The leadership of the Russian Federation and the MFA of Russia have recently been receiving numerous messages from Ukrainian public organizations and individuals expressing deep concern over the worsening of the situation with the Russian language in Ukraine, in particular, over plans to exclude programs of Russian television channels from the country’s cable television system.

The messages voice justified anxiety about Ukrainian authorities leading matters in defiance of the opinion of millions of Ukraine’s Russian-speaking citizens to a total Ukrainization of national television. At issue in this case is attempts at “the creation in Ukraine of a mono-ethnic humanitarian space,” they state bluntly.

This question, as is pointed out, stands particularly acute in Ukraine’s southeastern regions where most of the population are Russian-speaking citizens. In this connection they have sent to the Russian leadership a copy of their appeal to Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Verkhovnaya Rada Chairman Arseniy Yatsenyuk to render assistance in resolving the situation developing in Ukrainian television.

Moscow fully shares the deep concern of the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine on the issue of retransmission of Russian TV channels within its territory. We believe that such steps if they are taken represent a violation of the relevant provisions of the Russian-Ukrainian accords on mass media cooperation between the two countries and do not correspond to the good-neighborly and friendly character of our relations.

For our part, we will endeavor to ensure that democratic norms regarding the constitutional right of citizens to a free choice of their information sources are observed in Ukraine in accordance with national legislation and universally accepted international standards.