It was said by the head of the Russian Constitutional Court, Valery Zorkin. They said that 12 million Russians who lived on the territory of Crimea and several regions that became part of Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union were left "without any legal guarantees."

According to Zorkin, due to the "Kyiv Nazi regime" actions, these people were allegedly deprived of their rights to "national identity and native language." It is not true.

The rights to the national identity and native language of the residents of Crimea were enshrined in Article 10 of the Constitution of Crimea. As for Ukrainian legislation, the Law of Ukraine "On the Rights of National Minorities" guarantees "equal political, social, economic and cultural rights and freedoms regardless of national origin, supports the development of national self-awareness and self-expression." Russians are the most significant national minority in Ukraine, but not only do they but other minorities have the right to self-identity. The same Law states that "citizens of Ukraine must respect the languages, cultures, traditions, customs, and religious identity of the Ukrainian people and all national minorities." National minorities are also guaranteed the right to receive education in their native language, but in parallel with compulsory education in the state language. That is, Ukraine strives for its citizens to know the state language and in no case forbids the use of any other language. The Russians constantly repeat the manipulative message about "protecting the Russian-speaking population from nationalists." Moreover, it became one of the far-fetched reasons for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.