President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Decree No. 17/2024 "On the Territories of the Russian Federation Historically Inhabited by Ukrainians."
The document states that for centuries, Russia has systematically destroyed national identity, oppressed Ukrainians, and violated their rights and freedoms, in particular in the lands historically inhabited by them in Kuban, Starodubshchyna, Northern and Eastern Slobozhanshchyna within the modern Krasnodar Krai, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kursk, and Rostov regions of the Russian Federation. At the same time, Russia must comply with its international obligations to ensure that Ukrainians living in its territories, including those historically inhabited by ethnic Ukrainians, have the right to education in the Ukrainian language and its free use, civil, social, cultural and religious rights, access to Ukrainian-language media, and the right of peaceful assembly.
"The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine with the involvement of international experts, representatives of the Ukrainian World Congress, scholars, and the public, shall elaborate and submit to the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine an action plan to preserve the national identity of Ukrainians living in the Russian Federation, including the lands historically inhabited by them (Kuban, Starodubshchyna, Northern and Eastern Slobozhanshchyna within the modern Krasnodar Krai, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kursk, and Rostov regions of the Russian Federation)," the decree states.
The action plan shall envisage, inter alia, the collection and examination of evidence and testimonies about crimes committed against Ukrainians who live (lived) in the territories of Russia historically inhabited by ethnic Ukrainians, about the policy of forced Russification, political repression and deportation of Ukrainians, the restoration and preservation of historical memory, including the establishment of a center for these issues.
Work shall also be intensified to counter disinformation and propaganda of the Russian Federation regarding the history and present of Ukrainians in Russia and all the peoples enslaved by it, with the involvement of domestic and foreign scholars, experts, representatives of the Ukrainian community abroad and organizations of Ukrainians abroad in the preparation and holding of events aimed at debunking Russian myths about Ukraine.
In addition, cooperation between Ukrainians and the peoples enslaved by Russia shall be developed. Together with the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the preparation and dissemination of materials on the more than thousand-year history of Ukrainian statehood, the historical ties of the lands inhabited by ethnic Ukrainians with Ukrainian national state formations in different historical periods shall be ensured.
The need to highlight the true history of ethnic Ukrainians in the lands historically inhabited by them within the Russian Federation in curricula and textbooks for educational institutions is also emphasized.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has also been tasked with ensuring that the provisions of this decree are taken into account when developing a comprehensive strategy for Ukraine's interaction with the Ukrainian global community.
This Presidential Decree has been prepared in compliance with the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, in accordance with Article 12, paragraph 3 of part 1 of Article 106 of the Constitution of Ukraine.