MOSCOW, October 29. /TASS/. The Odessa City Council in southern Ukraine has voted against a moratorium on the public use of Russian-language cultural content, the Strana news outlet reported.

Authorities in several Ukrainian cities, particularly in the west of the country, have already introduced similar bans. However, according to the news outlet, only 18 of the 64 members of the Odessa City Council voted in favor of the proposal. Two abstained, another 21 did not take part in the vote, and the remaining members were absent.

Since 2014, Ukraine has pursued a policy of openly pushing out the Russian language. In 2019, the country adopted a law "On ensuring the functioning of Ukrainian as the state language," which significantly restricted the use of Russian and minority languages in the country. Local authorities have imposed blanket bans on Russian-language works of art, books, films, theater productions and songs. They have also banned the study of Russian in schools and universities and required schoolchildren to speak only Ukrainian during breaks. At the same time, Ukrainians continue to use Russian widely in everyday life, which regularly becomes a source of conflict.