Purposeful destruction of the Ukrainian language (linguocide), as a defining feature of the Ukrainian nation, by Russia for many centuries is an indisputable historical fact.

Linguocide is a constituent part of the policy of genocide against Ukrainians on the temporarily occupied territories. The Ukrainian language, as an important factor of national identity and state formation, is one of Russia’s main goals in the war against Ukraine.

Eventual cases of linguocide are as follows:

• the occupation administrations use only Russian language to inform the citizens;

• coercion to use the Russian language, ban on using the state language in public communications when communicating with representatives of the occupation administrations and other people;

• using only Russian as a language of information for general acquaintance and advertising (announcements, signs, indexes, outdoor and other advertising, etc.), dismantling or damage of information carriers for general acquaintance and advertising which have been made in the state language;

• creating obstacles, forcible termination, prohibition of activities of the media, Internet resources that provide information in the Ukrainian language;

• ousting the Ukrainian language as the educational process language: full or partial transition of educational institutions to the Russian language of instruction, abolition or reduction of teaching the Ukrainian language and literature as subject matters;

• coercion to use the Russian language, ban on using the Ukrainian language during public events including cultural, artistic and educational ones;

• restriction of access, ban on distribution and destruction of literature, printing production in the Ukrainian language;

• coercion to use the Russian language in the services sector, including information about goods and services, medical care, transport and communication services, etc.;

• other actions aimed at narrowing the scope of the Ukrainian language.

Acts of linguocide of the Ukrainian language are always accompanied by threats, intimidation, use of physical force, psychological pressure, restraint of liberty, abduction, torture, murder and other crimes against Ukrainians. Illegal acts and documents containing evidence of linguocide may be issued and distributed on behalf of the occupation administrations.

We hope all occupiers’ crimes, including crimes related to linguocide, will be duly recorded, investigated and brought to justice. The perpetrators must be identified and punished.

For that purpose the State Language Protection Commissioner of Ukraine Taras Kremin appealed to the Ukrainians and representatives of international community to report about the acts of linguocide against the Ukrainian language (any actions of the occupiers or their collaborators aimed at discrimination or persecution of Ukrainians on the basis of language, forcible expulsion of the Ukrainian language from public space and public use, replacing it with Russian).

“Russia is bound to suffer a crushing defeat. All crimes against Ukrainians, including linguistic crimes, must be properly recorded, investigated and brought to justice. All perpetrators must be identified and punished. As the State Language Protection Commissioner of Ukraine, I consider it my duty to facilitate this process. I urge everyone who becomes aware of acts of linguocide against the Ukrainian language (any actions of the occupiers or their collaborators aimed at discrimination or persecution of Ukrainians on the basis of language, forcible expulsion of the Ukrainian language from public space and public use replacing it with Russian) to inform us”, - Taras Kremin notes.

phone: +380635561279;

email: stoplinguacide@gmail.com

Detailed documentation of acts of linguocide of the Ukrainian language will be important for the arrangement of legal prosecution of criminals and bringing them to justice.

We bring to your attention the following statements of the State Language Protection Commissioner and other facts regarding the acts of genocide of the Ukrainian language.

13.04

Taras Kremin commented on the information about the policy of forcible Russification that the Russian leadership intends to apply to deported Ukrainian children sending them to “language camps”.

15.04

In the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the aggressor continues the policy of implementing the idea of “Russian peace” among children. At the educational institutions of the peninsula the occupier is increasing the scale of “patriotic” education and also wants to “teach” Russian of thousands of children who were deported from mainland Ukraine. It will take place in the special camps. This was announced by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Lyudmila Denisova.

18.04

The Commissioner called for reporting about the acts of genocide against the Ukrainian language - persecution on the basis of language and harassment of the Ukrainian language in the occupied territories.

19.04

The criminal putin’s authorities are trying to assimilate Ukrainian schoolchildren and teachers, who moved out forcibly but in fact were deported to territories not controlled by Ukraine, to the educational standards of the Russian Federation. Taras Kremin said this on Apostrophe TV.

19.04.

The aggressor continues the policy of forced “Russification” of the population of Ukraine. The racists will force children, kidnapped from the temporarily occupied territories of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, to study in russian and in accordance with the russian programs. This was announced by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Lyudmila Denisova.

20.04

The russian federation uses the Russian language as a tool in the war against Ukraine. This was stated by the State Language Protection Commissioner Taras Kremin for Channel 24.

26.04

In one of the occupied communities of Zaporizhzhia russians are forcing teachers by threats to resume the educational process on May 2 according to the Russian program. This was announced by the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Lyudmila Denisova.

27.04

Further occupiers’ attempts to resume the educational process in general secondary education institutions in the occupied territories according to the russian educational law is the continuation of putin’s colonial policy regarding the citizens of Ukraine. Taras Kremin said this commenting on the information that in Melitopol the occupiers were trying to resume the educational process and they announced extending the school year till June 7. 

Only two schools work in Mariupol which Russian occupation forces have been trying to seize for two months. The children are forced to write on their notebooks “Rostov region” there. The advisor to the mayor of the city Petro Andryushchenko reported about it.

28.04

The Canadian Parliament has recognized russia’s crimes in Ukraine as genocide. In Henichesk the occupiers forcibly gathered the directors of the community’s schools and issued an ultimatum to submit lists of teachers who were ready to continue working in accordance with the Russian program since September 1. Those teachers who agreed  would be sent for retraining to the Crimea in summer. This was announced by Yuri Sobolevsky, First Deputy Chairman - Chief of Staff of the Kherson Regional Council.