[55408] New bill: Granting 'indigenous people' status to Gagauz in Ukraine
[55408] New bill: Granting 'indigenous people' status to Gagauz in Ukraine
A new bill submitted to the Ukrainian parliament seeks to recognize the Gagauz, a Christian-Orthodox ethnic group, as an indigenous people of Ukraine.
Bill to recognize the Gagauz as an indigenous people of Ukraine
On May 11, 2026, it was reported in Всевидящее ОКО: Україна and Новости Одесса | Одеса that an official bill was submitted to the Ukrainian parliament aiming to recognize the Gagauz people as an "indigenous people" of Ukraine.
The Gagauz are an ethnic group with Turkic roots who speak a Turkic language, but their primary religion is Orthodox Christianity. According to reports, most members of the group currently reside in Moldova and in areas in the southern Odessa region of Ukraine.
The move, which has been widely reported on Ukrainian Telegram channels, comes against the backdrop of the country's attempts to strengthen ties with ethnic minorities within its territory. As of now, the bill is in the initial registration stages, and it is not yet clear if it will receive sufficient support in the Ukrainian legislature.