There is no Russian national minority on the territory of Ukraine. This statement was made by Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishyna.

“There is no Russian minority in Ukraine,” the Ukrainian publication “European Truth” reports Stefanishina’s words. She added that there is not a single legally established community that identifies itself as a Russian minority. There are Ukrainians, some of whom speak Russian, the Deputy Prime Minister concluded.

According to a report prepared by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Ukraine the authorities allowed and even encouraged hatred of Russian residents and Russian culture, RAPSI reports. It is alleged that the Ukrainian authorities are pursuing a policy of forced Ukrainization and assimilation of all ethnic groups in the country with the aim of creating a mono-ethnic state, limiting the rights of the Russian and Russian-speaking population.