You're reading: Russian language loses its regional status in Mykolaiv region

Mykolaiv District Administrative Court has satisfied a lawsuit lodged by the regional prosecutor’s office to invalidate the decision made by Mykolaiv Regional Council in 2012 to grant Russian the status of a regional language.

“Mykolaiv District Administrative Court satisfied a lawsuit filed by the first deputy prosecutor of Mykolaiv region on recognizing as unlawful and invalid the Mykolaiv Regional Council decision No. 4 of September 7, 2012, on the implementation of the requirements of the law of Ukraine on the foundations of the state language policy in Mykolaiv region,” the press service of the prosecutor’s office reported on July 31.

The regional prosecutor’s office recalled that by its decision the regional council recognized in 2012 that in Mykolaiv region, along with Ukrainian as a state language, Russian is used as a regional language, and measures aimed at using regional languages are applied to it.

At the same time, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine in February this year recognized this law as being not in accordance with the main law of the country, and the decisions and conclusions of the Constitutional Court are binding and final. In accordance with Article 10 of the Constitution of Ukraine, Ukrainian is the state language in Ukraine.

“Since the regional council did not take measures independently to bring the decision into line with the current legislation, the first deputy regional prosecutor appealed to the court to invalidate the decision of the regional council to grant Russian the status of a regional language. The court agreed with the prosecutor’s arguments, recognizing Mykolaiv Regional Council’s decision as unlawful and invalid,” the report says.