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Sevastopol authorities make Russian official language for document circulation

SEVASTOPOL, March 10, 11:12 /ITAR-TASS/. The authorities of Sevastopol, a port on the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine where more than 70 percent of residents are Russians, have made Russian the official language for state document circulation.

Acting head of the Sevastopol city state administration, Dmitry Belik, signed a relevant resolution on Monday.

“In line with norms of international law, taking into account that the Russian language is native for the overwhelming majority of the city’s population, the Sevastopol city state administration rules to use it as the official language in all state document circulation,” the resolution said.

Earlier, the city’s authorities had to compile official documents in Ukrainian.

Ukraine’s legitimate leader Viktor Yanukovich was ousted in a violent uprising in February. The parliament appointed an interim head of state and approved a new government, which the Autonomous Ukrainian Republic of Crimea, where most residents are Russians, does not recognize.

Crimea’s Supreme Council on March 6 decided that the republic would secede from Ukraine and become part of Russia. The issue was put to a referendum that would take place on March 16.

Sevastopol is not part of the Crimean autonomy but has the status of a national significance city in Ukraine. The Sevastopol City Council has also decided to hold a referendum on accession to Russia on March 16.

Russia leases from Ukraine a naval base in Sevastopol and has its Black Sea Fleet deployed there.

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