Journalists from “Schemes” established that Russia financed the promotion of the so-called “Kivalov-Kolesnichenko” language law, which granted Russian language status as a regional language in Ukraine.
Source: ” Schemes ” (Radio Liberty)
Details: Journalists analysed leaked documents from Pravfond, a Russian government organisation “for supporting compatriots abroad.”
As a reminder, in 2012, following the adoption of a law, Russian became the regional language in 13 of Ukraine’s 27 territorial units. Its co-authors were Vadym Kolesnichenko and Serhiy Kivalov, members of parliament from the Party of Regions.
“It was written in such a way that, in fact, Russian could be used not alongside Ukrainian, but instead of Ukrainian,” language policy researcher Volodymyr Kulik explained in a conversation with Skhemy.
In 2018, the Constitutional Court declared the “Kivalov-Kolesnichenko law” unconstitutional.
“Schemes” established that Kolesnichenko received funds from Pravfond for activities supporting this language law both before and after its adoption in parliament.
Before the law was passed, he was sent 1.2 million rubles (almost 41 thousand dollars), and afterward, another 2 million rubles (about 65 thousand dollars).
The funds, as established by “Schemes,” were used “to publish a brochure for Russian compatriots” in Ukraine with instructions on how to apply the language law.
The brochure also explained how to use Russian in office work, courts, and education instead of Ukrainian.
According to leaked documents analysed by Skhemy, the brochure was to be distributed among Ukrainian government agencies and international organisations, and also presented to the public in Kyiv with the participation of another co-author of the language law, Sergei Kivalov.
However, the event was postponed, and Kivalov was replaced by Mikhail Tovt, a former people’s deputy and then an employee of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
“Schemes” established that Tovt and Stepan Chernichko, now the rector of the Transcarpathian Hungarian Institute and a deputy of the Transcarpathian Regional Council, were co-authors of the brochure.
In a comment to journalists, they stated that they did not know who financed the brochure.
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