MOSCOW, August 7. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky, his entourage, and most of the ministers and deputies of the Servants of the People ruling party speak Russian when they are not on camera, while ordinary Ukrainians are fined for speaking it, said Verkhovna Rada Deputy Alexey Goncharenko (on Russian list of terrorists and extremists).
He referred to an incident with the coach of a youth football team, who was fined for speaking Russian during a club practice.
"Vladimir Zelensky communicates in his office in Russian, most ministers communicate in Russian, most of the Servants of the People communicates in Russian. Is that okay? There are no fines. But the football coach has to pay," Goncharenko said on Telegram.
The Ukrainian government is openly trying to extinguish the Russian language. The country has a law "On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language," which significantly limits the use of Russian and the languages of national minorities. For instance, it prohibits teaching in Russian, and the authorities insist that even during breaks in school children should communicate in Ukrainian. The language ombudsman regularly reports on fines and even the dismissal of teachers who conduct lessons in Russian.
