Russian Language endangered in Ukraine, Baltic States

Russia’s Foreign Ministry is concerned about the status of the Russian language in post-Soviet states, the Voice of Russia`s correspondent reports. According to a high-ranking official of the ministry, Alexander Chepurin, the situation is quite complex in Ukraine and in Baltic states. Mr. Chepurin said that in Ukraine, where Russians form the largest ethnic minority, the authorities are preventing the Russian-speaking population from receiving education in their native language. Commenting on the situation in Latvia and Estonia, where Russians also make up a significant part of the population, the Russian-speaking citizens are still limited in their right to speak their native tongue. Chepurin emphasized that Russian had always been and remains one of the most widely spoken languages, that is why Russians living abroad should stand up for their rights to speak their mother tongue.