Ukraine

Key Findings overall

The language correlation currently existing in Ukraine is, on the one hand, the continuation of the process of total Russification and, on the other hand, the reflection of the desire of the Ukrainian people for national and political self-awareness. Therefore, the usage of Ukrainian and Russian, which has become the subject of heated social and political debate remains the central issue for language development. The controversy over the need to establish Ukrainian and the preservation of the usage of Russian needs to be strategically settled and legally regulated⁴. It concerns in particular fields such as mass media, education and social life. The development of the other minority languages (except for Russian) requires both state support and an increase in conscious aspiration of the ethnic groups to preserve and develop their national language, and, thus, demand to exercise their rights to the full extent of Ukrainian laws. Currently immigrants’ languages are the least protected in Ukraine and require heightened attention on the part of the state authorities and public organisations, as well as the furthering of their recognition in society. 

Important initiatives for international relations and the cultural development of the Ukrainian minorities include the following: cultural and educational events aimed at forming tolerance, respect for culture, history, customs and traditions of the representatives of different nationalities; state financial support to newspapers published in the languages of minorities and rendering assistance to cultural centres; tourist routes to the areas densely inhabited by minority groups to broaden awareness of ethnic, cultural and language identity.

⁴ Personal and Interpersonal Backgrounds for Increasing Status Value of Communication in Ukrainian among Students (V.O. Vasiutynskyi, K.M. Kalachnikova