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Ukrainian Parliament Passes Bill To Ban Russian Music In Move To Protect Culture

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service June 19, 2022

The Ukrainian parliament on June 19 passed a bill to ban Russian-language music as lawmakers pushed through a number of bills aimed at protecting Ukrainian culture and the country's information space from Russian influence.

The bill to ban Russian-language music in public also increases the quota for Ukrainian music on radio and television from 35 percent to 40 percent.

In addition, the bill would prohibit touring with Russian performers, but it also provides exceptions for artists who have publicly condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

A statement explaining the bill says Russian music would make the adoption of a Russian identity more attractive, potentially weakening the Ukrainian state.

The "musical product of the aggressor state [could] influence separatist sentiment in the population," according to the statement, which was quoted by lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak on Telegram.

The Verkhovna Rada (Supreme Council) also voted to ban the import and distribution of books and other printed products from Russia, Belarus, and the regions of Ukraine occupied by Russia-backed separatists.

The parliament passed separate legislation to stimulate the development of Ukrainian book publishing and distribution.

With reporting by dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-to-ban -russian-music-culture/31905236.html

Copyright (c) 2022. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.