Zelenskyy: Russian language loses protected status in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a new law that revokes the protected language status previously afforded to Russian within Ukraine. This significant decision aims to safeguard Ukraine's linguistic environment and fulfill the nation's European integration commitments.

Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk announced the law's signing, emphasizing its importance for protecting the Ukrainian language. He stated that the language of an aggressor state should not benefit from protections designed for indigenous peoples and national minorities. This move underscores a commitment to linguistic justice and security within Ukraine.

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The President of Ukraine signed the law, an important decision for the protection of the Ukrainian linguistic space and the fulfillment of our European obligations.

The law removes Russian from the protections outlined in the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, a Council of Europe treaty ratified by Ukraine. While Russian is not being outlawed, the state is no longer obligated to provide public services in Russian, nor is it required to support education in the language. This shift reflects a broader national effort to promote Ukrainian as the primary language of public life.

Official figures indicate that prior to the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, approximately one-third of Ukraine's population primarily spoke Russian, particularly in the eastern and southern regions. Post-invasion surveys suggest a decline in Russian language use, though the situation remains complex due to Russia's ongoing occupation of 19% of Ukrainian territory. Tensions surrounding the status of the Russian language were a contributing factor to the separatist unrest in eastern Ukraine that began in 2014.

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The language of an aggressor state cannot benefit from protection tools designed to support the languages of indigenous peoples and national communities.