MOSCOW, November 13. /TASS/. Resonant scandals over discrimination of Russian-speaking population in Ukraine are just the tip of the iceberg, such situations on a less serious level occur almost daily, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Friday commenting on the situation with the dismissal of professor Valery Gromov from one of the Ukrainian universities after a student complained that he refused to lecture in Ukrainian.
"Of course, it is possible to say that this is yet another violation or evidence of violation of rights of Russian-speaking population in the country. <...> The problem is that it is not an isolated incident. It is loud, resonant, attracting attention with its blatant injustice. How many similar cases happen virtually daily on a less serious level across the entire Ukraine yet this doesn’t mean people suffer less. By and large, this is simply the tip of the iceberg of language discrimination in Ukraine," she pointed out.
The spokeswoman noted that a firm public stance of the professor who quit as a result "cannot command anything but respect" and will be a worthy example for the numerous Russian-speaking citizens who are defending their constitutional right to speak, study and work using their native language. "These are some medieval news, for all intents and purposes. Because it is impossible to interpret this otherwise," the diplomat added.
"On our part, we will continue to make public such facts of human rights violations in Ukraine, attract attention of the international human rights organizations," the spokeswoman concluded.