ST. PETERSBURG, June 7. /TASS/. A law which establishes English as the language of international communication in Ukraine is preparing the country for occupation by the West, stated Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova at a briefing on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"A law now establishes the possibility for <...> leaders from NATO countries to communicate with the population of Ukraine through the systemic introduction of the English language into state institutions. <...> They are simply, essentially, preparing for the occupation of their territory; there is no other way to describe it," Zakharova pointed out.

According to her, such measures are taken so that "Western managers can be sent to state entities in Ukraine to manage the life of the Ukrainian population." "This situation is typical for colonies, where residents must universally understand and know what their masters from headquarters are saying."

Earlier, Ukrainian parliamentarian Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed the law on the status of English in Ukraine as the language of international communication in its second reading. This document was submitted to the Rada last summer by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. He identified it as urgent, and it was adopted in its first reading in November. However, the law faced criticism, and several petitions against it were registered. The implementation of the new norms might pose difficulties because many officials still are not fluent in Ukrainian, which is the state language.