Since the Euromaidan revolution of 2014, legislators have sought to boost the status of Ukrainian language in Ukraine’s public culture.
The 2017 law on education makes Ukrainian the main language of instruction above primary school level – citizens can still study Russian language, culture, and literature in school, but all other subjects are to be taught in Ukrainian, English, or other official languages of the European Union (groups deemed indigenous to Ukraine, most notably the Crimean Tatars, can study in their languages through the end of secondary school). Тhe Ukrainian parliament is currently working on a comprehensive language law that mandates the widespread use of Ukrainian in mass media, the publishing industry, state administration, and the public sphere more broadly.
Critics have described this new legislation as discriminatory towards the many speakers of Russian and other languages in Ukraine, including self-identified Ukrainians and vocal critics of Putin’s invasion of Crimea and the Donbas. Some claim that President Poroshenko’s administration risks alienating loyal citizens by equating “Ukrainianness” with the Ukrainian language, rather than celebrating Ukraine as a multilingual and multicultural nation. Those who support the state’s attempts to boost the status of Ukrainian variously point out that widespread fluency in the state language will guarantee all citizens equal opportunities to pursue a successful career in Ukraine, as well as help establish stronger cultural barriers between Ukraine and Russia in the face of Moscow’s aggressive policies.
