Language ombudsman: Ukrainian language revives despite linguicide in occupied territories

Taras Kremin, the Commissioner for Protection of the State Language, has rejected statements by Steve Witkoff, US Special Representative for the Middle East, that Russia could retain control over five oblasts of Ukraine because of their Russian-speaking population.

Source: Taras Kremin on Radio Liberty

Quote from Taras Kremin: "I would like to warn you that talk about language, especially by our allies, is not in line with our international agreements and the agreements we actually have."

Details: Kremin recalled that Donald Trump signed a decree on 1 March, after the start of his second presidential term, granting English the status of the only official language.

Russia insists on recognising its control over five Ukrainian oblasts, including those territories that are not occupied.

"Who better than him [Trump - ed.] knows how important it is to maintain the national unity and integrity of his country, even though it has developed in different ways and in some aspects are even very similar to my hometown of Mykolaiv, in fact, there are many such comparisons. But I would like to emphasise that what Russian propaganda insists on, I believe, is unacceptable, neither for ordinary US citizens nor for the civilised world," Kremin added.

Earlier, Witkoff, who had previously met with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, said in an interview with Tucker Carlson and The Wall Street Journal that residents speak Russian in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts, parts of which are occupied by Russia, as well as in occupied Crimea. Therefore, Russia's control over these territories of Ukraine can be established.

Kremin stressed that the situation in terms of language in Ukraine has changed dramatically due to the war and that Russia is again pursuing a policy of russification in the occupied territories.

Quote from Taras Kremin: "Over the 11 years of war in Ukraine, the language picture has been significantly transformed. Today, the vast majority of Ukrainian citizens, regardless of the oblast, whether in the south, east, or west of Ukraine, prefer the Ukrainian language in official spheres of public life and in private communication. However, since 2014, numerous cases of linguistic violence, humiliation of people and destruction of national identity have been recorded, and we continue to record this under the temporary [Russian - ed.] occupation."

Background: A survey conducted by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation in cooperation with the Razumkov Centre sociological service in January found that 78% of respondents said Ukrainian was their native language, compared to 60% ten years ago. The share of those who said Russian was their mother tongue was 6%, while ten years ago it was much higher - 15%.

The survey was conducted between 29 November and 14 December 2024 among 1,518 respondents living in the Ukrainian-controlled territories where no hostilities are taking place.

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