“For centuries, the russian occupiers have been acting under the principle: first linguistic and cultural expansion, then military aggression. russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24 became a clear testimony to that” - Taras Kremin, the State Language Protection Commissioner commented for "Polish Radio".

"The policy of linguocide, pursued by russians in the occupied territories, does not differ in any way from the policy that took place on Ukrainian lands during the Soviet occupation and the tsarist era. History bears witness to the 300-year path of destruction of the Ukrainian language, culture, schooling, and university education. The current strategy of russian criminals in the temporarily occupied territories is a strategy of scorched land. Due to examples at the liberated territories of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk regions, etc., we observed the facts that occupiers did not stop committing the most terrible crimes: murders, rapes, abduction of children, burning of books, and various types of terror against Ukrainians to force them to collaborate. It testifies that the occupier acts systematically and consistently. Our task is to collect the facts of linguocide and transfer them to the relevant institutions, and to do everything possible to bring Ukrainian victory closer," Taras Kremin said.

As the Commissioner emphasized, the citizens of Poland, the Czech Republic, and the Baltic countries understand our problem because in the 20th century they felt the signs of linguocide, the displacement of their national languages, and the imposition of russian as the language of so-called "international communication." "Today, our cooperation with these countries is extremely important. We see how these states and numerous international organizations gladly opened educational institutions for our children. Humanitarian hubs, which have been operating since February 24, show great respect and generosity to Ukrainian citizens," Taras Kremin stated.

We would like to remind you that the Commissioner's Secretariat constantly records facts of linguocide in the temporarily occupied territories and forwards them to human rights and law enforcement agencies.

Cases of linguocide can be reported by e-mail: stoplinguacide@gmail.com.