Speaking at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, Lukashevich emphasized that Kiev’s plans to strengthen the position of the Ukrainian language should take into account the diversity of the country's population.

“Practical confirmation of the double discrimination of the Russian language is the plans of the Ukrainian leadership to translate Russian-language schools into the Ukrainian language of instruction in the next academic year,” RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.

The Russian Permanent Representative recalled that some Russian print media were banned in Ukraine and “language quotas” were introduced in relation to the Russian language on television, while a more loyal approach was taken to the languages ​​of the EU member states.

“Schools where teaching is conducted in the languages ​​of the countries - members of the European Union should make such a transition only by September 2023,” said Lukashevich.

According to him, Ukraine should remember the negative experience of the Baltic countries, which shows that for such a short period of time it will be difficult for the ethnically diverse population of the country to adapt to new conditions.

On October 4, the Ministry of Education of Ukraine announced the translation of Russian-language schools into the Ukrainian language of teaching in 2020.

Ex-deputy of the Verkhovna Rada Vladimir Oleinik in an interview with the FAN warned that this innovation would cause another split and discontent in Ukrainian society.