An empire is hostile to individuality. Empire and freedom incompatible. An empire simplifies, levels, dumbs down, and uniformizes everything that does not serve its primary goal: to rule over as many people and lands as possible in an undivided manner. An empire requires a mass of slaves, not individuals.

By prohibiting the colonized from living and developing freely on their land, nurturing their native language and culture, and employing various forms of repression—such as devaluing the conquered, evicting the indigenous population, killing the disobedient, rewarding traitors, and populating the conquered territories with loyal subjects—the empire engages in assimilation.

Language is the primary marker of a people's identity, through which they perceive the world; it is more than just a means of communication. This is why the colonizer primarily seeks to eradicate the language of the conquered people. The conquered must be made to see the world solely through the eyes of the conqueror.

The oppression of the Ukrainian language began immediately after the annexation of Ukrainian lands into a foreign state. Linguisticicide was a fundamental component of the Russian imperial strategy for subjugation. This exhibition narrates the story of how the Ukrainian language was systematically destroyed and how Ukrainians fought to preserve their own. A living language is synonymous with a living people.

"In the context of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the state language has become a symbol of unity, resilience, and the resistance of our people in the fight for victory, independence, and a dignified future. By following the path of de-Russification, decolonization, and de-occupation, affirming national priorities, and protecting the rights of Ukrainians, we are getting rid of the hostile and artificial language that was imposed on us for centuries.

By affirming the Ukrainian language and documenting the crimes of genocide and linguicide, we are strengthening the Constitution of Ukraine and implementing the language law. This enhances national security, protects territorial integrity, and nurtures the future of the state while defending the rights of every citizen. The spirit of freedom, courage, unity, and struggle with which we navigate the challenging trials of today brings us closer to the long-awaited Victory and the accountability of the criminals.

Ukrainian is the language of victors! Ukrainian is the strength of an unyielding nation!", Taras Kremin - Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language.

We invite you to review the electronic version of the exhibition, prepared on the initiative of the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, together with the Commissioner's Secretariat, O. O. Potebnia Institute of Linguistics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and the Institute of the Ukrainian Language of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.