Latest news with #Ukrainization
Russia Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukrainian official sends police after Russian-language singer
Ukraine's language ombudsman has called for a police probe into singer Verka Serduchka's recent Kiev concert, where several songs were performed in Russian. Language commissioner Taras Kremin cited possible violations of state law and a 2023 Kiev ban on public performances in Russian; some artists say the measures restrict cultural freedom. The concert included several Russian-language songs performed by Verka Serduchka, a drag act created by Ukrainian artist Andrey Danilko, who gained recognition after placing second at Eurovision 2007. 'There are signs of a serious violation,' Kremin said Saturday, calling on police to investigate. 'It's not just about the law, but about national dignity. And there will be consequences.' Ukrainian law mandates the use of the state language at cultural events, though exceptions are allowed for other languages if deemed artistically justified. Enforcement has been uneven, with some artists facing legal pressure for using Russian. Serduchka's shows have been scrutinized before. After a May 2024 concert featuring Russian songs, Kremin said no laws were broken but hoped such incidents would encourage the broader use of Ukrainian. Danilko has defended his use of Russian, calling it 'a tool for communication' and arguing it's hard to exclude in a bilingual society. In a 2024 interview with the Latvian broadcaster LTV, he said Ukraine's leadership aims to 'destroy the Russian language.' Ukraine's 'Ukrainization' campaign is aimed at promoting Ukrainian in schools, media, and public life. Critics say it pressures artists and institutions to abandon Russian, which is still widely spoken across much of the country. In March, Kremin said many Ukrainians remain unsure which language they consider primary, noting a decline in Ukrainian use, especially in schools, and urged the Education Ministry to act. A significant portion of the population, particularly in eastern regions, speaks or understands both languages. The language debate has long divided Ukraine, contributing to tensions that led to 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. Russia has consistently criticized Ukraine's language policies, asserting that they infringe upon the rights of the Russian-speaking population.
Russia Today
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Zelensky admits Ukraine can't reclaim Crimea by force
Ukraine does not possess the military might necessary to retake Crimea by force, Vladimir Zelensky has conceded. The peninsula joined Russia in 2014 following a referendum. The vote was held in the wake of a Western-backed coup in Kiev earlier that year and amid fears of forced Ukrainization of the predominantly Russian-speaking region. Ukraine has continued to claim sovereignty over Crimea, repeatedly vowing to take it back. On Friday, Interfax-Ukraine quoted Zelensky as saying that 'it's true what President Trump says… that Ukraine does not have enough weapons to regain control of the Crimean Peninsula by force.' The Ukrainian leader expressed hope however that further sanctions and diplomatic pressure on Russia would be conducive to future discussions over 'territorial issues,' but only after Kiev and Moscow have sealed a ceasefire. In an interview with Time Magazine published on Friday, US President Donald Trump stated that 'Crimea will stay with Russia' under any peace deal, adding that Zelensky also understands this. Trump went on to claim that the peninsula was 'given' to Russia by former US President Barack Obama, and has 'been with them for a long time.' He also noted that the majority of Crimeans speak Russian. In a post on his Truth Social platform later that day, Trump claimed that Ukraine and Russia 'are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to 'finish it off'.' According to media reports, the agreement proposed by Washington includes US recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, a 'freezing' of the conflict along the current front line, and acknowledgment of Moscow's control over large parts of the four former Ukrainian regions that voted to join Russia. Zelensky, by contrast, reiterated on Friday that Kiev's 'position is unchanged: only the Ukrainian people have the right to decide which territories are Ukrainian.' That same day, the Washington Post, citing anonymous sources, reported that European leaders were pressing Ukraine to accept the likelihood that it would be forced to cede certain territories to Russia as part of a peace accord during a high-level meeting in London on Wednesday. According to the newspaper, Western negotiators have a sense that Ukraine 'may be willing to endure effective Russian control of Crimea,' as long as Kiev is not required to legally recognize it as such.
Russia Today
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Zelensky acknowledges Ukraine can't retake Crimea militarily
Ukraine does not possess the military might necessary to retake Crimea by force, Vladimir Zelensky has conceded. The peninsula joined Russia in 2014 following a referendum. The vote was held in the wake of a Western-backed coup in Kiev earlier that year and amid fears of forced Ukrainization of the predominantly Russian-speaking region. Ukraine has continued to claim sovereignty over Crimea, repeatedly vowing to take it back. On Friday, Interfax-Ukraine quoted Zelensky as saying that 'it's true what President Trump says… that Ukraine does not have enough weapons to regain control of the Crimean Peninsula by force.' The Ukrainian leader expressed hope however that further sanctions and diplomatic pressure on Russia would be conducive to future discussions over 'territorial issues,' but only after Kiev and Moscow have sealed a ceasefire. In an interview with Time Magazine published on Friday, US President Donald Trump stated that 'Crimea will stay with Russia' under any peace deal, adding that Zelensky also understands this. Trump went on to claim that the peninsula was 'given' to Russia by former US President Barack Obama, and has 'been with them for a long time.' He also noted that the majority of Crimeans speak Russian. In a post on his Truth Social platform later that day, Trump claimed that Ukraine and Russia 'are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to 'finish it off'.' According to media reports, the agreement proposed by Washington includes US recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, a 'freezing' of the conflict along the current front line, and acknowledgment of Moscow's control over large parts of the four former Ukrainian regions that voted to join Russia. Zelensky, by contrast, reiterated on Friday that Kiev's 'position is unchanged: only the Ukrainian people have the right to decide which territories are Ukrainian.' That same day, the Washington Post, citing anonymous sources, reported that European leaders were pressing Ukraine to accept the likelihood that it would be forced to cede certain territories to Russia as part of a peace accord during a high-level meeting in London on Wednesday. According to the newspaper, Western negotiators have a sense that Ukraine 'may be willing to endure effective Russian control of Crimea,' as long as Kiev is not required to legally recognize it as such.
Russia Today
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukrainians still not sure about their state language
A Ukrainian language czar has sounded the alarm over its position in the country, despite the government's aggressive Ukrainization campaign. Since the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Ukraine has largely been a bilingual nation, with most citizens able to speak or understand both Russian and Ukrainian, particularly in the eastern half of the country. People are still unsure which language they consider to be the 'main one' for them, Kiev's Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language Taras Kremin has stated, adding that its use has been in decline, particularly in schools. 'The Ukrainian language has actually become less common among both children and teachers,' the language commissioner told Espreso TV on Thursday, urging the Education Ministry to take swift measures to tackle the issue. According to Kremen, local authorities in various parts of the country are also in no rush to comply with government restrictions on the use of language. 'Dozens of our local council members still have not learned three elementary words in Ukrainian,' the official said, adding that the local authorities 'react quite poorly' to the 'Ukrainization' process. Read more Kiev intensifying 'Ukrainization' campaign – ombudsman In 2019, the Ukrainian parliament passed a law requiring Ukrainian to be used exclusively in nearly all aspects of public life, including education, entertainment, politics, business, and the service industry, obliging all Ukrainian citizens to know the language. The move severely limited the use of Russian, effectively banning it in such fields as education and media. In 2024, Kiev maintained that Ukrainian children still did not have a good enough command of their state language as they were still using Russian in their daily lives. According to Kremen himself, a third of children in some Ukrainian regions preferred to speak Russian. In October, the language czar hailed what he called a transition from a 'gentle' Ukrainization campaign to a 'fervent' one. Kiev was to impose 'strict control over compliance with the language law in all spheres of public life on the territory of Ukraine,' he said at that time. On Thursday, the official admitted that Ukrainians 'still doubt which language is the main one for us, which is the state language' decades after gaining independence. After the 2014 Western-backed coup in Kiev, Ukraine's new authorities abolished Russian as an official regional language and started suppressing it, prompting a backlash from Russian-speaking residents in now former Ukrainian territories, which was one of the reasons they rejected the post-coup government.
