Over 500 complaints in a year: Ukrainians are reporting the aggressor’s Russian-language service and music en masse
9 April 14:48
The issue of language in the service sector and public spaces remains one of the most contentious issues in Ukrainian society. Despite three years of full-scale war, businesses continue to “use” Russian, and cafes still play songs by artists holding Russian passports.
In response to a request from "Komersant Ukrainian", the Secretariat of the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language
provided exclusive statistics and explained why it is the police, not the ombudsman, who punishes the use of Russian chanson.
Language of service: a surge in 2025
According to the Secretariat’s data, the trend in complaints regarding violations in the service sector shows an interesting pattern. After a certain decline in 2024, the beginning of 2025 saw a new surge in public dissatisfaction.
“In the second half of 2022, the Ombudsman received 752 complaints… In 2023, 615 such complaints were registered; in 2024, 372; and in 2025, 517,” the response states.
At the same time, the agency clarifies: “The complaints concerned the use of a non-state language in the service sector. The Secretariat does not keep separate records of complaints regarding the use of the Russian language.” However, it is evident that in the Ukrainian context, “non-state” in 99% of cases refers specifically to Russian.
The Occupier’s Music: Complaint Statistics
Every year, Ukrainians react more strongly to Russian music in public places. While the Office of the Language Ombudsman receivedonly 3 such complaints in 2022, there have already been 51 in the current period of 2025. This is a record high for the entire duration of monitoring.
Who has the right to issue fines?
Many people mistakenly believe that Taras Kremin must personally issue fines to every minibus driver or café owner for playing songs by Leps or Loboda. In reality, the legal situation is more complex.
The Secretariat explains: the issue of song lyrics falls outside the scope of the language law.
“The issue of language use during song performances falls outside the scope of the Law and, accordingly, does not fall within the authority of the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language.”
Instead, the Law “On Culture” applies, which explicitly prohibits content from citizens of an aggressor state:
“It is prohibited on the territory of Ukraine to publicly perform… phonograms, videograms, and music videos containing a recorded performance of a non-dramatic musical work with lyrics, performed by a singer who is or has been, at any time since 1991, a citizen of a state recognized by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine as an aggressor state.”
Therefore, if you hear a Russian artist playing in a restaurant, complaining to the language ombudsman is largely ineffective.
“Bringing individuals to administrative liability for violating the requirements… of the Law ‘On Culture’ falls within the authority of the National Police. The Secretariat does not have information regarding the number of reports filed by police agencies,” the agency emphasizes.
Local “moratoriums”
Local government bodies have a separate lever of influence. Many cities have adopted decisions to completely ban Russian-language cultural products.
“To protect the Ukrainian information space from hybrid influences by the aggressor state… a number of cities and regions in Ukraine have adopted decisions to restrict the public use of Russian-language cultural products.”
Enforcement of these decisions rests with local officials and special commissions of city councils.
Conclusion for citizens:
- If you are not served in the state language—write to the Commissioner.
- If a venue is playing music or a recording by an artist from the Russian Federation—call the police.
- If there is a local ban on any Russian-language content in the city—contact the city council’s “hotline.”
Whether the number of violations will decrease by the end of 2025 depends not only on the laws but also on the principled stance of every customer.
