Zelenskyy has changed the rules on the protection of the Russian language
This was announced by Ruslan Stefanchuk, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
The bill in question is No. 14120, “On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine in Connection with the Update of the Official Translation of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages”. The document was submitted by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on 3 December 2025.
What the new law changes
Prior to the amendments, the provisions of the Charter in Ukraine applied to the languages of national minorities, including Belarusian, Bulgarian, Gagauz, Greek, Yiddish, Crimean Tatar, Moldovan, German, Polish, Russian, Romanian, Slovak and Hungarian. Following the update to the legislation, the Russian language has been removed from this list. Ukraine will now apply the provisions of the Charter to Belarusian, Bulgarian, Gagauz, Crimean Tatar, Modern Greek, German, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, Hungarian, Czech and Hebrew.
Why was Russian excluded?
According to Stefanchuk, this decision is linked to the protection of the Ukrainian linguistic space and the fulfilment of European obligations.
“The language of an aggressor state cannot benefit from the protection mechanisms created to support the languages of indigenous peoples and national communities,” stated the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada.
At the same time, the legislation retains a provision stating that special provisions regarding the languages of national communities do not apply to the language of a state that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has recognised as an aggressor state or an occupying power. The changes also concern terminology: the legislation uses the updated title of the document — "European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages".
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