MOSCOW, July 1. /TASS/. The Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) together with delegates from Serbia, Armenia, Hungary and Moldova has expressed protest over Kiev’s passing a law on indigenous peoples that leaves Russians out of the list, the head of the delegation, Pyotr Tolstoy, blogged on his Telegram channel on Thursday.
"Russia has already lodged a protest in PACE in connection with Kiev’s moves," said Tolstoy, who is Deputy Speaker of the State Duma lower house. "Our initiative to condemn the actions by the Ukrainian side was backed by deputies from Serbia, Armenia, Hungary and Moldova. I am sure that the number of those unhappy about Kiev’s actions will keep growing - people still remember, what segregation leads to," he wrote.
This move by Ukrainian parliamentarians "cannot be left unanswered", Tolstoy stressed. "As for the outspoken Nazis sitting in Verkhovna Rada, brought to power and protected by Europe, they lead to the repetition of the second quarter of the 20th century through their decision to delete 20 million Russian people from history," he concluded.
Most recently, Kiev passed a law on indigenous peoples of Ukraine, which included Crimean Tatars, a Muslim ethnic minority, as well as Karaites and Krymchaks, who practice Judaism. However, Russians were left out of the indigenous people list.