“Russian is not a foreign language in our country. This is the language that is prescribed in article 10 of the constitution. The Verkhovna Rada guarantees the right to use any language ... The MP has the right to speak the language that is convenient for him, ”Shufrich quoted a statement during a UNIAN briefing.
He emphasized that, if necessary, the Rada secretariat should ensure that the speech of deputies is translated into the state language.
The representative of the “Opposition Platform - For Life” also said that party members basically speak Russian in protest against Ukraine’s policy regarding non-state languages.
“This is both a matter of principle and my own initiative, this is a kind of our protest against what is happening today in the field of using Russian ... and other languages, the possibility of using which ... is significantly limited,” said Shufrich.
Earlier, newly elected deputies of the Rada at a preparatory meeting held a skirmish because of the speech of the co-chairman of the party “Opposition Platform - For Life” Vadim Rabinovich in Russian.
In particular, a member of the European Solidarity Party, Irina Gerashchenko, said that speaking in Russian violates Ukrainian law.