Non-native speech

President Viktor Yushchenko said on Friday that the decision of the Supreme Council of Crimea to hold a local consultative referendum on granting Russian the status of a second state language is aimed at splitting Ukrainians. But the president’s opinion most likely will not change the regulations determined by the Crimean legislative body. And on March 26, on the day of elections of deputies to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, residents of the peninsula will express their opinion on the status of the language that most of them speak.