DISINFO: Russians are not able to defend the Russian language in Belarus and Ukraine
SUMMARY
Many people resent that Russians are not able to defend the Russian language on Belarusian and Ukrainian territories in such a way so that everyone speaks Russian there.
RESPONSE
No evidence given. A recurring narrative on the suppression of the Russian language in the former Soviet republics which are independent states at the present time.
The Russian language has the official status in Belarus. In practice, the majority of official correspondence, state media and education in Belarus operate in Russian. See a previous story on this topic here.
In the case of Ukraine, Verkhovna Rada has passed, on April 25, the law "on ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as a state language". The law establishes mandatory use of the Ukrainian language in most areas of public and communal life, including the mass media, education, science, etc. However, the law does not forbid the use of Russian or other languages in private communication and religious ceremonies. Moreover, Russian and other languages can be present in book publishing, the press, including radio and television, education and the service sector. The law also allows the use of other languages in the healthcare system and in law enforcement. See a recent story on this subject here.