Zelensky bans book imports from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine’s occupied territories

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a law to prohibit imports of books and other published materials from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine’s occupied territories, the leader announced via Telegram.

The Ukrainian parliament passed the law on 19 June 2022. It reinforces restrictions placed on the imports and dissemination of published materials of anti-Ukrainian nature and also aims to keep Russia’s destructive influence away from Ukraine’s book market.

The law text was referred to EU institutions for an evaluation “whether certain provisions of the law can inhibit Ukraine’s efforts to oversee its responsibilities in protection of minority rights, particularly language minorities, in the context of the European Commission’s recommendations regarding Ukraine’s EU membership application”.

In May, a petition was published on the president’s website, urging him to sign it. The petition garnered 26,000 signatures.

Zelensky later responded to the call, saying that he did not sign the law, since some of its provisions can run counter to the national constitution and EU standards.

On 2 May, Ukraine’s parliament adopted a resolution, recognising Rashism (sometimes spelled as Ruscism) as the state ideology in Russia.

The Ukrainian parliament also urged the international community to condemn the “Rashist” regime of President Vladimir Putin “as a criminal one” and take “real measures to bring Russia’s military and political leadership to justice” for unleashing the full-scale war on Ukraine.