MOSCOW, August 23 /TASS/. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has called on Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko to give concrete examples of how the rights of Ukrainians living in Russia have been violated.
"What infringements on the rights of the Ukrainian community in Moscow and in Russia is he talking about? Have you ever heard of that? If you know such facts, then tell us about them. There may be some isolated cases. But you have an embassy in Moscow. I wonder what he is talking about?" Zakharova said in an interview at the Vesti FM radio on Tuesday.
Ukraine’s President Pyotr Poroshenko told representatives of the Ukrainian Diaspora on August 22 that he was concerned with the position of Ukrainian compatriots in Russia. He called on Ukrainians around the globe to put in efforts to protect the rights of Ukrainians in Russia.
Poroshenko claimed that Ukrainian citizens, who are law-abiding and loyal to Russia, as well as public organizations had come under considerable pressure from Russian security services.
He also accused Russia of denying Ukrainians the right to "ethnic identity". Poroshenko cited the remarks of Russian President Vladimir Putin who said that Ukrainians and Russians were one and the same people.