A significant legislative shift has emerged in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine: the relevant committee on humanitarian and information policy unanimously supported the initiative to criminalize Ukrainophobia. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Head of the President's Office.

Criminalization of disrespect for the state

During the committee meeting, the fate of bill No. 15186 was considered. Iryna Vereshchuk, who participated in the discussion, noted that public disrespect for the Ukrainian nation and state should be recognized as a criminal offense. According to her, despite the fact that such measures may cause dissatisfaction outside the country, they are necessary for building a sovereign Ukrainian state.

"Yes, maybe not everyone likes it (especially outside Ukraine). But if we are building a Ukrainian state, I see nothing wrong with the specified legislative changes," emphasized the Deputy Head of the President's Office.

What the bill provides for

The initiator of the document was People's Deputy Mykola Knyazhytskyi. The draft law proposes to make significant changes to the Criminal Code of Ukraine, clearly defining punishment for actions that harm the state. According to the text of the document, the following fall under attack:

  • Public calls to deny the subjectivity of Ukraine;
  • Justification of the assimilation of the Ukrainian people;
  • Public disregard for the Ukrainian language and culture.

The author of the initiative argues the necessity of the law by the fact that current legislation does not have sufficient tools to combat this phenomenon. According to Knyazhytskyi, the bill became a response to a long-standing request from society, formed under the conditions of a hybrid war.

Context of events

The discussion of issues of national protection takes place against the backdrop of statements about large-scale threats. Earlier, the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, stated that Russia was preparing for the genocide of Ukrainians even before the start of the full-scale invasion. In this regard, legislative initiatives aimed at protecting national sovereignty and language are considered by the authorities as part of the strategy to counter hostile actions.