Russia's Regional Development Ministry has created a telephone hotline for Russians in Ukraine to call with complaints about any violations of their rights.
Russian speakers from Ukraine may call to "complain about violations of their linguistic, cultural, religious or other rights," the ministry said in a statement.
Russia has cited a threat to the rights of ethnic Russians in Crimea as the reason for annexing the peninsula, and fears have been rising that Russia might use the same pretext to expand its presence in Ukraine.
The ministry said complaints may be submitted through the Moscow phone number +7-495-980-25-40 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays or via e-mail at infoukr@minregion.ru.
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