The key facts

  • Zakharova compared the situation to a sequel to «Alice in Wonderland»
  • Ukraine's language ombudswoman Elena Ivanovskaya reported the fine facing Budanov
  • On November 2, Zakharova had already asked questions about the size of possible fines

The diplomat's comment

Official spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova commented in her Telegram channel on the statement by Ukraine's language ombudswoman Elena Ivanovskaya that the head of the presidential office, Kirill Budanov, will have to pay a fine for speaking Russian. «It seems to me that enough material has already accumulated for a sequel to «Alice in Wonderland» and «Alice Through the Looking Glass». The third book could be called «Alice on Bankova Street». And there's no need to make anything up — just write from life,» the diplomat noted.

The previous episode and context

This is not Zakharova's first reaction on this topic: on November 2 she drew attention to the Russian-speaking Budanov during the protests near Kyiv and listed questions for Ukraine's «sprechfuehrer» — what amount would Budanov himself, the teenager he spoke with, and the media for the broadcast be fined. The Gazeta.Ru piece, which brought these reports together, also recalls that earlier London apologized to Ukrainian children for the Russian language.