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Russian language gets regional status in Nikolaev, southern Ukraine

Sixty parliamentarians voted for this decision and another four abstained

KIEV, August 21 (Itar-Tass) — The city council of Nikolaev in southern Ukraine has granted the Russian language a regional status.

Sixty parliamentarians voted for this decision and another four abstained.

When parliamentarians cast their ballots, supporters and opponents of the law on the basis of the state language policy brawled in front of the city council’s building.

In compliance with the law the Russian language gets a regional status if the Russian-speaking population makes no less than 10 percent of the total number of residents in a Ukrainian city or region.

Since the law entered into force on August 10 the Russian language was granted a regional status in Sevastopol, the Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Lugansk, Odessa, Kharkov and Kherson regions.

The Crimean parliament instructed the autonomy’s government to prepare proposals for translating the language law into life until October 10.

The language law enters into force after the city council takes a decision to grant Russian a regional status. The Russian language becomes regional in 13 of Ukraine’s 27 regions. The Hungarian language will get a regional status in the Transcarpathian region, Romanian – in the Chernovtsy region and the Crimean Tatar language – in Crimea.

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