© Sari Gustafsson / Lehtikuva Sergei Lavrov
The statement runs that Ukraine now "stamps" the laws violating the right of national minorities, including Russians. The Rada tries to ban the Russian language, non-loyal parties and media outlets, propagandizing Nazi values. All this is being down with reference to revolutionary reforms.
The ministry reminded that Ukraine threatens Russian-speaking individuals and conducts a struggle against monuments of Russian culture.
Earlier, the foreign ministry has expressed concerns about the desecration of monuments in Ukraine, pointing out the demolition of the monument to Kutuzov in the town of Brody on February 25th and the desecration of memorials to Soviet warriors.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also condemned the decision of the Rada to hold early presidential election on May 25th. To crown it all, the head of the ministry stated that the move to ban the broadcast of Russian TV channels in Ukraine would be a violation of freedom of speech. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev released similar statements yesterday.
'Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the following statement on February 25, 2014:
In connection with the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation on February 24, 2014, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine believes it important to emphasize the following:
An acute social-political crisis, accompanied by violence on the part of the regime, demanded swift and effective action to defend the people’s rights. This was the purpose of the agreement resolving the crisis in Ukraine, signed on February 21, 2014. However, the departure of the leadership from their posts signaled their unwillingness to follow the agreement’s directives, creating obstacles to their proper execution.
Concurrently, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, as the only legislative body and legitimate institution of government, assumed the responsibility for normalizing the situation in the country and reached a decision on the enforcement of most of the provisions of the agreement. Specifically, the decision was made to return to the 2004 Constitution, and to hold early presidential elections on May 25, 2014.'
The full translation - [Link]