Kiev lawmaker initiates bill banning use of Russian in public places

KIEV, March 29. /TASS/. Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, on Tuesday banned all Russian films made after January 1, 2014.

A total of 237 lawmakers voted for the ban.

More than 430 Russian films and TV series are already banned in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Culture Ministry has introduced a blacklist of 83 Russian and foreign actors, filmmakers, singers and other culture figures, whose presence in the country is undesirable, as they "threaten national security."

The list includes French and Hollywood movie stars Gerard Depardieu and Steven Seagal, titled US-born boxer Roy Jones Jr., who was granted the Russian citizenship, Fred Durst, best known as founder and frontman of the Limp Bizkit band, Russian Oscar-winning filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov, and some Russian pop singers.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture also compiled a whitelist of Russian cultural personalities who are supposed to be given maximum assistance inside the country.