Olena Ivanivska appointed as language ombudsman: what is known about her
15 July 2025 22:44
On Tuesday, July 15, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine appointed philologist Olena Ivanovska as the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language. She will replace Taras Kremin in this position. This was reported by the government’s press service on Telegram, according to
Ivanovska was appointed by open vote. Her candidacy was submitted for consideration by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets.
Who is Olena Ivanovska?
Olena Ivanovska is a Doctor of Philology, professor and lecturer at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. She works at the Department of Folklore Studies, where she teaches the folklore aspect of customary law, methods of teaching folklore, and the subject-figurative system of folklore.
Ivanovska is the author of about 100 scientific works, including 17 scientific and methodological works, textbooks, and curricula, as well as publications devoted to the protection of the Ukrainian language.
Her candidacy was considered at the request of the Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets.
What does the language ombudsman do?
The Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language (or language ombudsman) is responsible for protecting the Ukrainian language as the state language and ensuring the right of citizens to use it in all spheres of public life. He or she monitors compliance with language laws by public authorities, reviews complaints about violations, and can draw up reports and levy fines.
He also interacts with government officials to ensure the implementation of language legislation and conducts information and awareness raising on the importance of the Ukrainian language.
Since July 8, 2020, the post has been held by politician and scholar Taras Kremin, who co-authored the law on ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language.
As reported by
Ukrainian cultural figures called the competition for the position of language ombudsman an “attempt to destabilize” this institution. At the end of June, Kremin himself noted that, in his opinion, none of the proposed candidates met the criteria to become the ombudsman due to their lack of experience in human rights protection and experience in protecting the state language.
