Valuev Circular was a secret decree (ukaz) issued by Pyotr Valuev, Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Empire, by which publications (religious and educational literature recommended for the use in primary literacy training) in the “Little Russian” (Ukrainian) language were forbidden. In 1863, further restrictions were placed by the Ems Ukaz which completely prohibited the usage of the Ukrainian language in open print. Both Valuev Circular and later on Ems Edict (Ems Ukaz) are historical documents exposing the oppression of the Ukrainian language in Tsar Russia. The Russian Empire banned the Ukrainian language postulating that “there was, is not and could not have been a separate Little Russian language”, and that “their dialect, used by the common people, is the same Russian language, only corrupted by the influence of Poland.” Why such hatred towards the Ukrainian language? The answer is that in reality, the ‘Russian’ language is a dialect of the Ukrainian language and Moscow has been scared that this fact would become known because it would ruin all its history forging and superiority complex. For more insights into the subject, check ‘Gardariki, Ukraine’ e-book.
