Given the fact that over the centuries, Russia has systematically committed and continues to commit actions aimed at destroying national identity, oppressing Ukrainians, violating their rights and freedoms, including in the lands historically inhabited by them in Kuban, Starodubshchyna, Northern and Eastern Slobozhanshchyna within the boundaries of modern Krasnodar Krai, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kursk, Rostov Oblasts of the Russian Federation,
emphasizing the need for the Russian Federation to comply with its international obligations to provide Ukrainians living in its territories, including those historically inhabited by ethnic Ukrainians, the right to receive education in the Ukrainian language and its free use, civil, social, cultural and religious rights, access to Ukrainian-language mass media, the right to peaceful assembly,
guided by the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and linguistic minorities,
under Article 12, Clause 3 of the first part of Article 106 of the Constitution of Ukraine, I decree :
1. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine should develop, with the involvement of international experts, representatives of the World Congress of Ukrainians, scientists, and the public, and submit to the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine an action plan for preserving the national identity of Ukrainians in the Russian Federation, including on the lands historically inhabited by them (on Kuban, Starodubshchyna, Northern and Eastern Slobozhanshchyna within the boundaries of the modern Krasnodar Territory, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kursk, Rostov Oblasts of the Russian Federation), providing, in particular:
working out the issue of collecting and studying facts and testimonies about crimes committed against Ukrainians who live (lived) in the territories of Russia, historically inhabited by ethnic Ukrainians, about the policy of forced Russification, political repression and deportations of Ukrainians, restoration and preservation of historical memory, including regarding the formation of a centre on the specified issues;
intensification of work on countering disinformation and propaganda of the Russian Federation regarding the history and presence of Ukrainians in Russia and all nations enslaved by it with the involvement of domestic and foreign scientists, experts, representatives of the Ukrainian public abroad and organizations of Ukrainians abroad to prepare and conduct events aimed at debunking Russian myths about Ukraine;
development of interaction between Ukrainians and nations enslaved by Russia;
ensuring, together with the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the preparation and dissemination in Ukraine and the world of materials about the more than a thousand-year history of Ukrainian state formation, the historical connections of lands inhabited by ethnic Ukrainians, and Ukrainian national state formations in various historical periods;
coverage in educational programmes and textbooks for educational institutions of the true history of ethnic Ukrainians in the lands historically inhabited by them within the borders of the Russian Federation.
2. To ensure that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine takes into account the provisions of this Decree when developing a comprehensive strategy for Ukraine’s interaction with the Ukrainian global community.
3. This Decree enters into force from the day of its publication.
President of Ukraine V.ZELENSKYY
ПРЕЗИДЕНТ УКРАЇНИ
