In the conditions of martial law, Ukraine made significant progress towards the state language, and the dynamics and nature of changes in 2022 allow us to talk about the rapid “self-Ukrainization” of society. This is stated in the third Annual Report of the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, published on April 30. Government portal.
“The rapid increase in the level of public support for the state language, the drastic increase in its use both in public spheres and in private communication proved that it is a powerful, nation-affirming factor in the unity of citizens, an important factor in strengthening the Ukrainian civil nation, capable of successfully resisting the aggressor, overcoming difficult historical challenges, to win victories on the battlefields,” the document says.
The report emphasizes that the state language has dramatically strengthened its position and played a significant role in the information war: “The language of news distribution has become an important factor of trust in the source and their content, a means of forming and protecting Ukraine’s own media space, resistant to the influence of Russian propaganda and informational and psychological special operations of the enemy”.
In addition to an overview of the main trends in the development of the Ukrainian language under martial law, the report presents an in-depth analysis of the features of ensuring the functioning of the state language at the regional level and the situation in certain spheres of public life: in the activities of state bodies, local self-government bodies, the judiciary, education, science, culture, media, healthcare, consumer services, book publishing and book distribution, advertising and general information.
A separate section is devoted to the issue of linguicide of the Ukrainian language in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
“The full-scale invasion of the territory of Ukraine by Russian troops on February 24, 2022 proved that the intention to destroy the Ukrainian nation is a long-term policy of the Kremlin, which involves not only the physical destruction of Ukrainians, but also the destruction of the Ukrainian identity, an integral part of which is the language,” it is emphasized in documents – The basis for Russian military aggression and mass murders of Ukrainians was the so-called language factor. The artificial slogan “protection of Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine” was used to justify the occupation of part of the territories of Ukraine.”
As noted in the report, the actions of the occupying authorities in the temporarily occupied territories regarding the language issue are similar regardless of the region that was under the control of the aggressor. The extent of the displacement of the state language depends on the duration of the occupation under which the settlement was located. The removal or displacement of the Ukrainian language from usage occurs simultaneously with its replacement by Russian.
Cases testifying to the displacement of the state language and the planned assimilation policy of the occupiers were recorded in the following spheres of public life: public, cultural, educational, media and the sphere of official communication.
The document also presents conclusions and recommendations regarding possible ways of solving current issues that should be taken into account in the activities of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, other state authorities and local self-government.
As a reminder, in accordance with Part 5 of Article 49 of the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as a State Language”, the Commissioner presents an annual public report every year.
2023-05-01 21:03:28
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