St Nicholas ignores "Moscow-tongued”: In Lviv, child denied gift due to language

"Saint Nicholas" in Lviv. Photo: open sources

A scandal erupted in one of Lviv’s kindergartens. Social media users shared a screenshot from a parent group chat claiming that a child was denied a gift for the “New-Style” Feast of Saint Nicholas because the parents had written a letter to the saint in Russian. Blogger Anna Alkhim published the screenshots with outraged commentary.

According to the leaked messages, the mother of a girl named Dasha complained that her child was the only one in the group who did not receive a gift on Saint Nicholas Day.

In a reply, the kindergarten administration explained that children had written letters to Saint Nicholas at home with their parents and brought them to the “Nicholas Mailbox.” The message allegedly stated that “Nicholas decided not to congratulate the moskvoroty,” and that therefore Dasha did not receive a gift. The mother was advised to teach her daughter Ukrainian so that “perhaps next year Nicholas will visit Dasha as well.”

A postscript noted that the money for the gift could be collected from the teacher.

The blogger who published the story claimed it was “a decision of all the parents, who do not want their children to hear Russian in their environment.”

At the same time, Lviv authorities insist the story is a fake spread by Russian propaganda. “We thoroughly checked everything and assure you that no such incident occurred in Lviv’s municipal kindergartens. Such fakes are a typical Russian tactic – to pit people against each other, sow distrust and insults where none exist. In Lviv’s kindergartens, all children are equal,” wrote Andriy Zakalyuk, head of the Department of Education and Culture of the Lviv City Council, on Facebook.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that in Bila Tserkva, a language activist “put in her place” a 3-year-old displaced girl for speaking Russian.

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