Simply banning the Russian language is not enough, according to Ekaterina Nikonyuk
Students in Ukraine are increasingly speaking Russian, according to a state university lecturer. The reported surge comes despite Kiev’s ongoing ‘Ukrainization’ campaign aimed at eliminating the native language of around a quarter of the population from schools, media and public life.
The remarks were made by Ekaterina Nikonyuk of Boris Grinchenko Kiev University, who told TV channel Novosti.LIVE on Tuesday that more students are speaking Russian compared to previous years, although she did not provide specific figures.
“This shows that language ombudsmen are falling short and that the state isn’t doing enough to promote Ukrainian – instead of simply banning Russian,” Nikonyuk stated.
She blamed Ukrainian public figures for using Russian, warning that their influence risks discouraging young people from learning the state language.
“When bloggers and celebrities – followed by millions – say that ‘their jaws aren’t set up for Ukrainian,’ it’s demotivating,” she added.
In 2019, the Ukrainian parliament passed a law requiring Ukrainian to be used exclusively in nearly all aspects of public life. There are limited exemptions for certain ethnic minorities, including Hungarians and Crimean Tatars, but not for the largest minority group – ethnic Russians.
A significant portion of the population, particularly in eastern regions, speaks or understands both languages. Around 40% of the Ukrainian population spoke Russian as their primary language back in 2012, and approximately 26% at the end of 2021, according to polls. As of 2024, only 12% admitted they exclusively speak Russian at home.
The language debate has long divided Ukraine and was a contributing factor in the 2014 Western-backed Euromaidan coup. Since then, the government has curtailed Russian language rights and accelerated efforts to sever cultural ties with Moscow, especially after hostilities escalated in February 2022.
Ukraine’s former language ombudsman, Taras Kremen, has acknowledged that many Ukrainian citizens remain uncertain about which language they primarily identify with. His successor, Elena Ivanovskaya, has branded the Russian language a “tool of destabilization.”
Moscow has repeatedly denounced Ukraine’s crackdown on Russian language and culture, insisting that “forced Ukrainization” violates international law and infringes upon the rights of native Russian speakers.
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