A decree on the territories of Russia historically inhabited by Ukrainians has been published on the president's website. These are the Kuban, Starodubshchyna, Northern and Eastern Slobozhanshchyna within the modern Krasnodar Territory, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kursk, and Rostov Regions of the Russian Federation.
The document states that, for centuries, Russia has systematically committed and continues to commit actions aimed at destroying national identity, oppressing Ukrainians, violating their rights and freedoms, including in the lands historically inhabited by them in Russia. 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 to peaceful assembly.
In this regard, the President instructed:
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to develop, with the involvement of international experts, representatives of the World Congress of Ukrainians, scholars, and the public, and submit to the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine an action plan to preserve the national identity of Ukrainians in the Russian Federation, including in the lands historically inhabited by them (in the Kuban, Starodubsk, Northern and Eastern Slobozhanshchyna within the present-day Krasnodar Territory, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kursk, and Rostov Regions of the Russian Federation), providing, in particular:
- working out the issue of collecting and studying facts and evidence of crimes committed against Ukrainians living (who lived) in the territories of Russia historically inhabited by ethnic Ukrainians, the policy of forced Russification, political repression and deportation of Ukrainians, restoration and preservation of historical memory, including the establishment of a centre for these issues
- intensification of work to counter disinformation and propaganda of the Russian Federation regarding the history and present of Ukrainians in Russia and all peoples enslaved by it, involving domestic and foreign scholars, experts, representatives of the Ukrainian community abroad and organisations of Ukrainians abroad in the preparation and conduct of events aimed at debunking Russian myths about Ukraine
- developing cooperation between Ukrainians and the peoples enslaved by Russia
- ensuring, in cooperation with the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the preparation and dissemination in Ukraine and the world of materials on the more than thousand-year history of Ukrainian statehood, historical ties between the lands inhabited by ethnic Ukrainians and Ukrainian national state entities in different historical periods
- coverage in curricula and textbooks for educational institutions of the true history of ethnic Ukrainians in the lands historically inhabited by them within the Russian Federation.
To the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry - to ensure that the provisions of this Decree are taken into account when developing a comprehensive strategy for Ukraine's interaction with the Ukrainian international community.