"The world will forever remember February 24, 2022. 100 days of the genocide of Ukraine by the russian occupiers is a black page in recent history. We were intimidated by delays and capitulation, but the Ukrainian nation, united in its efforts and enlisting the support of the world, courageously opposes on all fronts: military, humanitarian, and linguistic. And it will win! " – the State Language Protection commissioner Taras Kremin wrote in his column on" Ukrinform ".

The Ukrainian language as the main factor of national consolidation, an inseparable attribute of our statehood and national security, is one of putin's main goals in this war, and he does not hide it. The occupier understands that to deprive the people of their language is to strike the main blow at their identity. That is why russian soldiers have a clear instruction: to destroy native speakers of the Ukrainian language, to      "re-educate" them in so-called filtration "language" camps, to deport people to Solovetsky’s areas, and to make them homeless. At the same time, the occupiers are inflicting devastating blows on educational, cultural, and medical infrastructure. Thus, according to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, for these 100 days 1888 educational institutions suffered from bombings and shelling, 180 of them were destroyed.

As in the bloody 1937, Ukrainians are humiliated, oppressed, and banned during the occupation. Linguocide policy is a traditional behavior of russians. We well remember the centuries of Ukrainian-language bans, recalling the consequences of the Ems Decree and the Valuev Circular, the execution of Ukrainian intelligentsia in the Stalinist camps, and the repressed generation of dissidents. Let us recall how, as a result of the "convergence of languages", the russian-Ukrainian dictionary became russian-russian, and the lion's share of Ukrainian writers were forced to become pro-Russian.

It is deadly dangerous to speak Ukrainian in the occupied territories. Just like having history books in your home library, subscribing to Ukrainian-language channels, having photos from public holidays, attending a Ukrainian church, and being a relative of a combatant.

The power of the native language is especially felt during the war. That is why language is the first thing putin's criminals care about when they pass through a devastating horde of Ukrainian cities and villages. In bombed-out Mariupol, they quickly changed road signs, because they felt the danger only in the letter "I". In the occupied territories, russians immediately want to transfer Ukrainian children to the russian curriculum, removing from the curriculum such disciplines as "Ukrainian language", "Ukrainian literature" and "History of Ukraine". They forcibly send our educators for "retraining" to the occupied Crimea for ideological re-education. In general, in the system of Kremlin propaganda, the school is an extremely important component. By working with young people, imposing the Russian language in the school process, and instilling their own pseudo-history and pseudo-heroes, the occupiers seek to russify our children.

With the help of occupied schools, russians work with the smallest, and with the help of television, they try to influence the local population. Thus, among the first steps of the occupation administrations were the shutdown of Ukrainian TV channels and radio stations, the shelling of Ukrainian television towers, and the abduction and murder of journalists. The enemy's goal is to launch his propaganda television as soon as possible. Examples of this are in the occupied Melitopol, Berdyansk, Energodar, Nova Kakhovka, Tavriya, Kherson, Kakhovka, and Dniprorudny.

With the advent of the "russian world" there is a systematic destruction of the Ukrainian language in the field of education, culture, media, book distribution, official communication, and public space. By burning our historical archives and libraries, shutting down Ukrainian TV channels, kidnapping teachers and school principals, and threatening parents and students, the racists are trying to intimidate people into speaking their native language and overcoming national resistance. All these are acts of linguocide, which are part of the kremlin's policy of "denazification". This is a continuation of the occupation policy that russia, the successor to the USSR, resumed in 2014, capturing Crimea and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The fact that this is the genocide of the Ukrainian people is recognized by the parliamentarians of Europe and the world, once again confirms: that unpunished evil is spreading across the planet, and it must be destroyed.

All crimes committed by Russians, in particular those related to linguocide, are being documented and will be investigated. Russia's colonial policy, a key component of which is the imposition of the occupier's language and the persecution of Ukrainians, will be punished internationally.

We believe in the Armed Forces, the liberation of Ukraine, and the irreversibility of punishment for criminals!

The Ukrainian language, having passed all the tests, only strengthens its position. According to the latest opinion polls, the current support for the Ukrainian language as the state language is the highest in all the years of independence. The number of native speakers of the Ukrainian language is growing every day, as more and more of our citizens make conscious choices by refusing to use the language of the aggressor. The pace of expansion of the free course network is impressive: during these months of full-scale war, hundreds of new initiatives (courses, talk clubs, workshops, lectures, etc.) have emerged to promote and master the state language in Ukraine and around the world.

By the way, attention to our language is growing on all continents. Leading political leaders, expressing their words of support for Ukraine, make it in Ukrainian language. Our songs are heard by millions! "Ой, у лузі червона калина", after a joint performance by Andriy Khlyvnyuk and "Pink Floyd", topped the UK music rankings. And after winning Eurovision 2022, the Kalush Orchestra's song reached the top ten of the Viral 50 Global Spotify rankings, gaining nearly 6 million views on YouTube less than a day after its premiere.

At the end of March, we won another important victory in the assertion of Ukrainian: at an extraordinary meeting of the General Assembly of the European Federation of National Institutions for Language, it was unanimously decided to grant Ukraine the status of associate member. This step is further protection of the Ukrainian language as the future language of the EU.

Today the whole civilized world knows that Ukrainian is the language of the brave and courageous people.

Every Ukrainian, speaking Ukrainian, is approaching the victory of Ukraine! "