An attempt to discuss the law that acknowledges Russian language in Ukraine was halted by the opposition parties. A fight between the Verkhovna Rada deputees ensued.

      When being elected, Ukraine's President Victor Yanukovich promised to give the Russian language the status of the second national language of the country. Russians currently make up the largest linguistic minority in the former Soviet republic and a long-term neighbour and cultural and historic "brother-in-arms". Unfortunately, since the demise of the Soviet Union the Ukrainian nationalists followed a staunch anti-Russian approach, especially in the matters of language. And even the thought of giving broader rights to Russian speakers repells them.

      So when the bill that fosters the circulation of Russian language in Ukraine (it does not propose to make Russian the second state language) was about to be discussed this week in Verkhovna Rada in Kiev, there was little that would stop the opposition: they burst into the praesidium, and a fight ensued. In their opinion, the Russian issue hammers a wedge in the Ukrainian society, and thus is best to be avoided.

      President Yanukovich may have guessed that the idea to widespread the Russian language was unpopular, but to what extent exactly he certainly didn't know...

      Source: AIF.ru, RIA.