The Washington Post, War urges many in Ukraine to abandon Russian language and culture, April 12, 2022 During the evening session, the parliamentary opposition Verkhovna Rada (Yulia Tymoshenko bloc and People`s Self-Defense Bloc Our Ukraine) blocked the main gallery of the parliament while some representatives of the Party of Regions surrounded the presidium. He was forced to announce a recess from the meeting. After the break, MP Vyacheslav Kyrylenko read a statement from the united opposition not to hold hearings on language issues. After Bill #10154 “On the Official Language of Ukraine” was not put on the agenda, Kyrylenko withdrew his Bill #9059 “Prohibition of Restrictions on the Use of the Ukrainian Language” from the revision, while Kolesnichenko made a presentation on his Bill #9073. The Chairman of the Committee on Cultural and Spiritual Issues, Volodymyr Yavorivsky, announced the committee`s decision to reject Bill #9073, as it was the decision of the majority of the committee. He pointed out that the bill will indeed introduce a bilingual situation in several regions. However, after examination, the bill was supported by the parliamentary majority, which showed its support for the introduction of two state languages: Ukrainian and Russian. The parliamentary minority and the “Reforms for the Future” group of MPs remained opposed to the law. The Speaker of Parliament, Volodymyr Lytvyn, was forced to end the session in a hurry[38], as further discussions led to another fight[39] during which some members of Parliament were injured. [40] [41] The Washington Post, The Ukrainian language is having a moment. To Putin`s ears, it`s a shot against Russian speakers, February 8, 2022 Ukraine has not banned the use of the Russian language in the country. Before 24 May 2012, there were rumours that a revision of the language legislation would take place in parliament (the Verkhovna Rada) and that the Minister of National Security and Defence would attend the meeting. [35] About 1,000 protesters gathered directly in front of the Verkhovna Rada building and set up another tent city.
[36] State security forces warned protesters not to set up tent cities. [37] Article 10 of the Constitution of Ukraine, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on June 28, 1996, states: “The official language of Ukraine is the Ukrainian language. The State shall ensure the comprehensive development and functioning of the Ukrainian language in all spheres of social life throughout the territory of Ukraine. In Ukraine, the free development, use and protection of Russian and other languages of national minorities of Ukraine shall be guaranteed.” [2] The 2017 Ukrainian Law on Education made Ukrainian the language of instruction in public schools from the fifth grade, although it allows the teaching of other languages as a separate subject,[70][71][72] to gradually become in 2023. [73] Since 2017, relations between Hungary and Ukraine on the issue of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine have deteriorated rapidly. [74] The Education Act has been criticized for being nationalistic and unnecessarily provocative; [75] Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko defended the law, saying, “The law guarantees equal opportunities for all. It guarantees every graduate strong language skills, which are essential for a successful career in Ukraine. [70] A 2019 law established Ukrainian as the official language of Ukraine and increased its use in businesses, schools, and the media.
The law was passed on July 3, 2012, amid fights in the Ukrainian parliament building, and the opposition said the procedure for adopting the law had not been followed. [9] [10] The Act came into force on August 10, 2012. [3] Since then, various cities and regions of Ukraine have declared Russian as a regional language under their jurisdiction. [5] Other cities and regions opposed this law. [11] Immediately after the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, on February 23, 2014, the Ukrainian Parliament voted to repeal the law. The decision was rejected by interim President Oleksandr Turchynov, who ordered the drafting of a new law to “take into account the interests of eastern and western Ukraine and all ethnic groups and minorities.” [12] [13] However, in October 2014, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine began reviewing the constitutionality of the law,[14] and on February 28, 2018, it declared the law unconstitutional. [15] Ukrainian is the mother tongue of about 67% of Ukraine`s approximately 43.5 million inhabitants, while Russian is the mother tongue of almost 30%. Russian is mainly spoken in urban areas.
Almost 3% of Ukraine`s inhabitants are native speakers of other languages. In January 2022, Human Rights Watch raised concerns about the protection of minority languages. [107] In April 2015, the Verkhovna Rada passed a law banning communist and Nazi propaganda and symbols. [64] The names of towns, villages, streets, and squares referring to communist slogans and leaders fell under the ban and had to be changed. [65] According to Volodymyr Viatrovych, who inspired the law, in October 2016, the toponymy of Ukraine underwent a complete process of decommunization, including in the Donbass region. [66] Dnipropetrovsk became Dnipro, and Kirovohrad became Kropyvnytskyi. The de-Russification of Ukrainian toponymy also meant the removal of all information boards written in Russian from railways and airports; From December 2016, all information had to be provided only in Ukrainian and English. Free Ukrainian language courses were held for civil servants working in the Donetsk regional administration, and from January 2017 Ukrainian became the only official and interpersonal language of communication in public institutions. [66] In May 2017, the Verkhovna Rada enacted a similar law imposing 75% ratings in Ukrainian on all TV channels operating in Ukraine. [66] On October 4, 2018, the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament) voted in first reading with a majority of 261 deputies in favor of a new language law (Bill No.
5670-d, “Support for the functioning of the Ukrainian language as a state language”[81]). After that, the bill “was prepared for second reading for about four months. Meanwhile, the Culture and Spirituality Committee of the Verkhovna Rada drafted more than 2,000 amendments to the document proposed by the People`s Deputies. In particular, the document proposes the creation of the National Commission for State Language Standards and the creation of the position of Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language. The legislator began considering the document on 28 February for a second reading. The Verkhovna Rada continued to consider amendments to the draft law from 12 to 15 March [2019]. [82] The Council of Europe asked the Verkhovna Rada to postpone the adoption of the law until after the elections. [83] Ukraine`s language law, which has been gradually implemented, establishes Ukrainian as the country`s only official language. The law stipulates that Ukrainian is mainly used in business, schools and the media.
However, it does not prohibit the use of Russian or other languages. In June 2016, a new law was passed obliging Ukrainian radio stations to broadcast a daily quota of songs in Ukrainian. At least a quarter of a radio station`s daily playlist had to be in Ukrainian, rising to 30% in 12 months and 35% a year later.