(MENAFN) Moscow acknowledges Ukraine’s sovereignty, but rejects the “Nazi” government in Kiev, which it claims is focused on the “extermination of everything Russian,” according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

In a recent interview with the Hungarian YouTube channel Ultrahang, aired on Sunday, Lavrov explained that Ukraine today is vastly different from the one whose independence Russia supported following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

“We recognize the independence of Ukraine, no doubt about this, [but] we recognized Ukraine on the basis of its own Declaration of Independence and Constitution… which defined Ukraine as a non-nuclear, neutral, non-bloc country guaranteeing the rights of all national minorities,” Lavrov stated.

He emphasized that the post-Soviet Ukraine was recognized on the foundation of its own official documents, which promised neutrality and minority rights.

However, Lavrov pointed out that after the 2014 Maidan coup, Ukraine transformed into “a bluntly Nazi regime” with a blatant disregard for Russian culture and history.

The regime, he argued, openly disrespects anything related to Russia, including its language, media, religion, education, and cultural heritage.

According to Lavrov, Ukraine’s post-coup government acted swiftly to strip Russian of its official status, removing its regional recognition and restricting its public use. He went as far as calling Ukraine “the only country on Earth” to ban a UN-recognized language.

Lavrov further criticized the actions of the Ukrainian government, stating that they effectively relegated Russian speakers in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions—now part of Russia following referendums—to the status of “second-sort people.”

Despite constitutional guarantees for minority rights, he argued, the Ukrainian authorities’ treatment of Russian speakers in these regions exemplified discrimination.

Lavrov reiterated that one of Moscow’s primary objectives is to protect these individuals from persecution.

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