Ukraine Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko confirmed the news on Telegram on Sunday.
Ukraine has banned Russian books and music in the country.
This comes after Ukrainian lawmakers passed two bills banning certain Russian books and music from Ukraine.
According to the Washington Examiner, the Ukraine Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko on Telegram on Sunday said the war has proved it’s high time the country switched to Ukrainian-language content.
He said “I am pleased to welcome the legal ban on Russian content — songs, performances by Russian artists and the distribution of Russian books,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the war proved that it was high time to switch to Ukrainian-language content. And this must be enshrined in law. Thank you to everyone who supported such decisions. We must replace Russian content with Ukrainian at all levels, from music to libraries.”
According to the reports, the laws passed by Ukraine’s Parliament ban the printing of books by Russian citizens, unless the author gives up their Russian passport and becomes a Ukrainian citizen.
The ban only applies to people who held Russian citizenship after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. The commercial import of books printed in Russia, Belarus, and occupied Ukrainian territory, is also banned under the new laws, which require special permission for the import of books in Russian from any other country.
The playing of music by post-1991 Russian citizens on media and public transportation is also prohibited under the new measures, which will increase quotas on Ukrainian-language speech and music in TV and radio broadcasts.
The laws will take effect after they are signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has not indicated any opposition to them, according to a report.
Ukraine has embarked on a series of “derussification” measures since Russia’s February 24 invasion.
The former Soviet state has banned political parties with ties to Russia, torn down statues erected during Soviet rule, and renamed several streets associated with Russia since the start of the war.
