Language Research

Updated (August 2002)

The fact that all juridical and political acts adopted up until 1989 concerning languages gave a privileged status to the Russian language is still reflected in the linguistic situation in Ukraine. Russian is the majority language of communication in Ukraine though it is not the official language. Still, native Russian speakers are only one of many national minorities in the country.

Out of 127 ethnic minorities, only 7 (Russians, Romanians, Hungarians, Polish, Crimean Tatars, Slovaks and Bulgarians) have schools or classes in their mother tongues, however, except for the Russians, (Eugen Patras, Ukrainian analyst) the demand outstrips the offer. Certain minorities, such as Belarussians (440,000 persons) currently do not have any schools educating in their language.

According to ECRI (the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance), since 1991, when 50 percent of the whole student population of Ukraine studied in Russian language schools, this number has steadily decreased. Nevertheless, the number of the other minority language schools has reportedly increased (see “The use of language in everyday life,” Update April 2002). Some representatives of the Russian community in Ukraine have voiced serious concerns at the decrease in the Russian language education, which partly reflects the tendency of parents to send their children to Ukrainian language schools, in order to ensure better opportunities for further education and employment. On the other hand, the Ukrainian authorities note that the number of students studying in Russian language schools still exceeds the number of Russian mother-tongue children. According to the 1989 census, around 22 percent of the population of Ukraine considered themselves to be ethnic Russians and over 30 percent of students in Ukraine studied in Russian language schools.

Currently, around 15 percent of all schools in Ukraine are non-Ukrainian language schools, the vast majority of which are Russian language schools. Students attending Russian language schools comprise ethnic Russians and non-ethnic Russians, including many Ukrainian children.

The Language Law allows for the use of other languages – parallel with Ukrainian – under three conditions: citizenship, local number majority and high density. But the law does not establish fixed numerical standards and therefore it clearly favors the Russian language.(Eugen Patras, Ukrainian analyst) Such situation does not exist in the areas where several minorities live together and use another communication language than Russian. The lack of precision in the application of the law leaves the solution up to goodwill of the authorities. Article 8 of the Language Law forbids any privileges based on language, but for the moment, this article is not being applied.

Source: Eurolang, www.eurolang.net, Brussels, July 26, 2002, by Emese Medgyesi & Eva Blässar

Second report on Ukraine adopted on December 14, 2001 and made public on July 23, 2002, Council of Europe,

http://www.coe.int/t/E/human_rights/ecri/1-ECRI/2-Country-by-country_approach/Ukraine/TopOfPage, (The full ECRI report on Ukraine, published 23/7/02. (English))

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Updated (October 2002)

On July 9, 2002 the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed concerns over a decision of Ukraine's National Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting requiring that within the next year all domestically produced television and radio programs will be in Ukrainian. Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said that this step basically limits the right of millions ethnic Russians who live in Ukraine but also many Ukrainians speaking Russian to receive information in their primary language. Yakovenko added that such a measure contradicts the spirit of Russian-Ukrainian cooperation, as well as international standards and he expressed hope that Ukrainian officials will take Russia's concerns over the issue into consideration.

Source: Minelres Archive, http://lists.delfi.lv/pipermail/minelres/, RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 6, No. 127, Part I, 10 July 2002

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Updated (July 2004)

NO RUSSIAN MUSIC IN BUSES ANYMORE

Weaving his bus through the busy streets of Lviv (Western Ukraine), Andriy used to listen to Russian pop music. However, he will have to change his habit soon, otherwise he will break the law and his license can be taken away.

It is not allowed to play music in the means of public transport in Lviv, but the drivers of some buses and mini-buses, known as “marshrutki”, flouted the law and played popular Russian songs anyway.

The local politicians have recently drafted a Language Law, according to which a bus driver license can be voided for this reason. They believe that it is necessary to “de-russify” Ukrainian life. Particularly in Lviv, which is considered to be “the most Ukrainian city” in the country, the Ukrainian language needs special attention. After independence, when only Russian was spoken in Ukraine, the issue of language has become very sensitive and a struggle to re-establish Ukrainian has started1.

Another sphere that can be influenced by the new Language Law, which, if approved, will come into force next year, are bars and restaurants in the city. The politicians, in an effort to protect the Ukrainian language and culture, are considering whether places of entertainment should not be also stopped from playing Russian pop songs outside their premises.

In April, an attempt to ban Russian language national television and radio programs failed after the pressure from Ukrainian broadcasters and Moscow politicians.

Source: Minelres News, by Helen Fawkes, BBC, Ukraine, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3783353.stm, http://lists.delfi.lv/pipermail/minelres/2004-June/003439.html

¹ While Ukrainian is the official language, Russian is widely used in the east of the country. It is estimated that one in five people in Ukraine has Russian as his/her first language.

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Updated (January 2006)

CALL TO ACTION: RUSYN HUMAN RIGHTS

The state of Ukraine still refuses to recognize the existence of Carpatho-Rusyns living within its borders. This policy, which is in violation of international agreements¹, is part of a long-standing Ukrainian effort to assimilate Carpatho-Rusyns and destroy their religious, linguistic, and cultural heritage. In practice, after decades of being told their ethnic group did not exist, many Rusyns in Ukraine are heavily assimilated and consider themselves Ukrainians. Nevertheless, wide range of Rusyn cultural organizations are active across Transcarpathia, most of them coordinated by an umbrella organization, the Carpatho-Rusyn Sojm. There are also newspapers and magazines printed in the Rusyn language, though they have low budgets and small circulations.

But Ukraine's continued choice not to recognize its Rusyn minority is hampering efforts to promote Rusyn culture. The Rusyn language, officially recognized as a dialect of Ukrainian, is not taught at schools. Although there is the absence of regular schooling, in the town Svaljava, for example, a Sunday-school program² teaching Rusyn language and culture increased from nine classes in the academic year 2003-2004 to sixteen classes the next year, with more than four hundred students. This success has relied on the Diaspora and the gratitude of a Transcarpathian Jew, Stephen Moldovan, who survived the Holocaust thanks to local Rusyns.

Hopes that such examples of support from abroad would be less important rose with the Orange Revolution. Three leading Rusyn organizations publicly supported the campaign of Viktor Yushchenko and most Rusyns were overjoyed when a man promising a new, more open and democratic system won the Ukrainian presidency in 2004. Thereupon the leaders of the organizations wasted no time and started lobbying at the new authorities. They were soon very disappointed. Julia Timoshenko, one of the key leaders of the Revolution, stated in a reply to their letter that Rusyns are Ukrainians and they could not expect any help from the authorities.

Today, many Rusyn activists see Yushchenko's goal of EU membership for Ukraine as their best hope. In order to become a EU candidate country, it will have to satisfy Brussels that it takes minority rights seriously. And the Ukrainian government will have to recognize Rusyns as a minority.

Source: http://www.carpathorusynsociety.org/Chapters/NatlCapital/actionalert.html

And www.unpo.org

1. Since Ukraine is a member of the Council of Europe and the OSCE, this continuation of Soviet census categorization and practice in present-day Ukraine violates the Council of Europe's Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the various conventions signed by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

2. a brainchild of Vasylij Sarkanych, the head of local branch of the Organization of Subcarpathian Rusyns

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