The Russian language has lost its special protection in Ukraine: details of the law
12 June 22:53
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a law removing Russian from the list of languages to which Ukraine applies the provisions of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. This decision concerns the ratification law on the application of the Charter in Ukraine. Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk announced the signing of the document, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
What the new law changes
The President of Ukraine signed Law No. 4699-IX, which removes the Russian language from the list of languages to which the special provisions of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages apply in Ukraine.
This does not mean a ban on the Russian language in private communication, but rather that it will no longer be covered by the protections provided by the Charter for the languages of indigenous peoples and national communities.
The document also clarifies the translation of the Charter’s title and updates the list of languages to which Ukraine applies its provisions.
The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages is an international document of the Council of Europe adopted in 1992.
Its main goal is to protect and support languages that are not official or widely spoken in the country but are historically used by certain population groups.
The Charter does not introduce new official languages or abolish existing ones. It requires countries that have ratified it to create conditions for the preservation of such languages: for example, to allow their use in education, courts, the media, cultural life, and administrative communication where possible and appropriate.
Ukraine signed the charter in 2003 upon joining the Council of Europe.
What Ruslan Stefanchuk said
Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk called the signing of the law an important decision for the protection of the Ukrainian linguistic space.
“This is an important decision for the protection of the Ukrainian linguistic space and the fulfillment of our European obligations. The Russian language has been removed from the list of languages to which Ukraine applies the provisions of the Charter,” Stefanchuk stated.
According to him, such a decision is fair and logical given Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
“The language of the aggressor state cannot benefit from the protective measures created to support the languages of indigenous peoples and national communities,” the Speaker of Parliament emphasized.
Stefanchuk also stressed that Ukraine respects linguistic and cultural diversity but must eliminate opportunities for preserving Russian imperial influence through legal mechanisms that were created to protect other languages.
Which languages remain under the protection of the Charter
Following the amendments, the provisions of the Charter in Ukraine will apply to the languages of indigenous peoples and national communities, specifically Belarusian, Bulgarian, Gagauz, Crimean Tatar, Modern Greek, German, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, Hungarian, Czech, Hebrew, and other languages specified by law.
In this way, the state maintains its support for linguistic diversity but excludes the Russian language from the list of those to which special European protection mechanisms apply.
Why was Russian removed from the list?
The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages was created to protect languages that are at risk of disappearing or require support due to a limited number of speakers.
In Ukraine, the Russian language had long been included in the list of languages covered by the Charter’s provisions. However, following the outbreak of full-scale war, the question of its special status became the subject of heated debate.
The authors of the amendments believe that the language of a state waging an aggressive war against Ukraine should not benefit from the protection mechanisms created to support the languages of indigenous peoples and national communities.
When the Verkhovna Rada passed the law
The Verkhovna Rada adopted the relevant law in early December 2025. It was voted for by 264 members of parliament.
The document amends legislation regarding the application of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in Ukraine and removes the Russian language and the so-called Moldovan language from the ratification law.
What this means for Ukraine’s language policy
The signing of the law was another step toward strengthening the role of the Ukrainian language as the state language and limiting the tools of Russian cultural influence.
At the same time, the law does not revoke the rights of national communities and indigenous peoples whose languages remain protected under the Charter. On the contrary, the document is intended to clarify exactly which languages require support within the framework of Ukraine’s European obligations.
Language legislation in Ukraine
Since the start of the full-scale war, the issue of the Ukrainian language has become part of a broader policy to protect national identity. The state is tightening control over the enforcement of language legislation and is gradually eliminating legal provisions that could have preserved the special status of the Russian language.
In 2025, 95 fines totaling 368,900 hryvnias were imposed for violations of language legislation in Ukraine.
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