The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament | Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images Ukrainian MPs back law limiting Russian language on TV Parliament ‘eliminating the remnants of the Soviet imperialist past,’ says speaker.

The Ukrainian parliament on Tuesday backed a law that requires major TV channels to broadcast three-quarters of their programs in Ukrainian, AFP reported.

"Once again, the Verkhovna Rada [parliament] has demonstrated that it is a Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, one eliminating the remnants of the Soviet imperialist past," Andriy Parubiy, the speaker of parliament, said after the law was supported by 269 MPs, with 15 voting against.

The bill allows smaller, local channels to show half of their broadcasts in Ukrainian and half in Russian.

Russia has previously accused Ukraine of persecuting its Russian speakers.

The move comes after Ukraine blocked the Russian equivalent of Facebook and other internet sites last week in a bid to prevent Kremlin propaganda from entering the country. It's the latest in a series of sanctions on Russia following the March 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

Authors: