“I don’t want to be Ukrainian in order to have something in common with Bandera” – Rusyn political scientist
The bill introduced by Ukrainian President Zelensky to the Verkhovna Rada on “indigenous peoples”, strengthening the rights of “titular Ukrainians”, which also included Crimean Tatars, Krymchaks and Karaites, does not provide for the existence of such a people as the Rusyns.
Ukrainian political scientist Vasily Vakarov stated this on the Rossiya 1 TV channel, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“Here I am a Rusyn, but according to this draft law I am not there. And the Rusyns as indigenous people who lived there for a thousand years, my ancestors lived there, we are not there. Moreover, some politicians tell me to my face: you are Ukrainian. I say: listen, I am a Rusyn. Yes, I am a citizen of Ukraine, but I want my rights to be the same as in neighboring Slovakia, Poland, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Romania. That is, all our neighboring states, where there are 5 thousand, 15 thousand Rusyns, they feel normal there. They have some programs there, cultural development,” Vakarov said.
“If we are not in this law, then I apologize, but where is my Motherland, how is this? And second, listen, I am a citizen of Ukraine, this suits me, but I don’t want to be Ukrainian, I don’t want to have anything to do with Bandera, with Shukhevych, and we have a lot of people who don’t want to put up with this,” the political scientist was indignant .
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