Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky and his team have been accused by the opposition of adopting a dictatorial system in the eastern European country and of intimidating citizens, according to Russian state news agency Tass on Friday. .
The opposition platform party (opposition platform) reportedly issued a statement, according to the agency, in which it criticized a speech by Zelensky in which the president suggested to Ukrainian citizens who were not d ‘agreement with his government’s plan to leave the country. The party’s statement is not available on the acronym’s official website.
The opposition also criticizes another speech, that of Language Protection Commissioner Taras Kremin, in which he says disgruntled Ukrainians should voice their grievances and then leave for other countries, where they might feel calmer.
The acronym accuses the president and his associates of calling for the forced eviction of Ukrainian citizens unhappy with the cultural and linguistic policy promoted by the government. “Never before in Ukrainian history have the authorities ventured to directly intimidate their own citizens,” the Opposition Platform wrote.
Legend calls on the government to end constant threats against citizens and ensure equality, regardless of ethnicity, language or political preferences. Volodymir Zelenski, however, maintains his speech. On another occasion, the president said it was a mistake for citizens who consider themselves Russians to stay in Donbass – an unstable region and the scene of border conflicts with Russia.
Vladislav Deinego, Foreign Minister of Lugansk, the breakaway republic of Ukraine, said in a statement that the Ukrainian president’s statements are a demonstration of the neo-Nazi nature that permeates Kiev politics. “Zelensky went too far in claiming that the people of Donbass, who are Russian in spirit, are making a ‘big mistake’ by staying in the land of their ancestors,” Deinego said.
At the center of the debate, a law passed in mid-April 2019 by the Ukrainian parliament, still under the presidency of Petro Poroshenko, Zelensky’s predecessor. Controversial legislation made the Ukrainian language compulsory for public sector workers and required that TV channels and film distribution companies have at least 90% of their content in Ukrainian.
The language permeates social strife in Ukraine, and the new law has fueled the situation. Ukrainian is the predominant language in the west of the country. In the east, Russian prevails. The Kremlin viewed the law as discriminatory.
At the time of the approval of the measure, Poroshenko supported it. However, it was up to Zelenski to assume the consequences. Regarded as an outsider, the current president is a former TV comedian who made a career out of poking fun at traditional Kiev politicians. He joined the global wave that led populist power with little to no experience and was elected by an overwhelming majority in the second round of the 2019 elections.
A few months after taking office, in September of the same year, Zelenskise found himself in the midst of a controversy involving then-US President Donald Trump. A phone conversation between the two led to impeachment proceedings against Trump. In it, the Republican pressured the Ukrainian leader to investigate the son of one of his main opponents, Democrat Joe Biden, then pre-candidate for the presidency.