Russian Federation Thank you, Madam Chair. The Russian Federation attaches great importance to promoting and protecting the rights of national, ethnic, religious, and linguistic minorities. Preserving ethno-cultural and linguistic diversity is one of the priorities of state national policy. We are convinced that the invaluable contribution of all the peoples of Russia to the country’s culture and economy contributes to its development and prosperity. We regret to note that today national minorities are increasingly becoming victims of discrimination. A characteristic example is the widespread statelessness of the Russianspeaking minority in Latvia and Estonia, where Russian-speaking residents are unable to fully participate in public and political life. In Western countries, Russians and simply Russian citizens of these countries are systematically subjected to a wide range of discriminatory actions, including denial of educational and medical services, attacks, threats, and everyday discrimination. Of particular concern is discrimination against children of Russian background. The humiliation of students by their classmates with the acquiescence of teachers, as well as the creation of conditions that hinder a comprehensive educational process—all of this demonstrates the depth of Russophobic attitudes in Western society. Ukraine is no exception, where, with the tacit approval of Kyiv’s Western sponsors, ultranationalists are pursuing a criminal policy of forced Ukrainianization. Discriminatory laws on the state language and the education of indigenous peoples are being adopted, primarily targeting the country’s multi-millionstrong Russian-speaking population, which for many years has been unable to fully enjoy its own culture or celebrate events connected with its native history, traditions, and language. Denial or restriction of minority rights is fundamentally unacceptable in a democratic state. In this regard, we believe it is necessary to strengthen requirements for states to fulfill their obligations and to abandon the practice of double standards with regard to the rights of national or ethnic, religious, and linguistic minorities. We call on all states, and Ukraine above all, to faithfully fulfill their obligations to promote and protect the rights of national minorities, as provided for in the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to Minorities. Thank you for your attention. Спасибо, госпожа Председатель. Российская Федерация уделяет большое внимание продвижению и защите прав национальных, этнических, религиозных и языковых меньшинств. Сохранение этнокультурного и языкового многообразия является одним из приоритетов государственной национальной политики. Убеждены, что неоценимый вклад всех народов России в культуру и экономику страны способствует ее развитию и процветанию. С сожалением констатируем, что сегодня нацменьшинства все чаще становятся жертвами дискриминации. Характерный пример - массовое безгражданство русскоязычного меньшинства в Латвии и Эстонии, где русскоязычные жители даже не могут полноценно участвовать в общественно-политической жизни. В государствах Запада россияне и просто русские граждане этих стран на системной основе подвергаются широкому спектру дискриминационных действий: отказам в образовательных и медицинских услуга��, нападениям, угрозам, бытовой дискриминации. Особую тревогу вызывает дискриминация в отношении детей, имеющих русские корни.