Russia Is Not 'Protecting' Russian-Speakers in Ukraine

What Is This Myth About?

One of the Kremlin’s key narratives: Ukraine allegedly “bans” the Russian language, persecutes Russian-speakers, and conducts “ethnic cleansing.” This supposedly gives Russia the right to “protect” them — with bombs, missiles, and occupation.

This myth is a cynical lie easily refuted by facts.

The Mayor of Mariupol: Addressing Residents in Russian

One of the most telling examples is Vadym Boichenko, the mayor of Mariupol. When Russia began the siege of Mariupol in February 2022, the mayor recorded an emergency address to the city’s residents in Russian — because Russian was the primary everyday language of the majority of Mariupol’s residents.

No Ukrainian official prohibited him from doing so. There were no sanctions for it. This is standard practice in Ukraine.

And then Russia destroyed Mariupol — a city where the majority of the population spoke Russian. The “protection” turned out to be the mass killing of those who were supposedly being protected.

Mariupol: The Numbers of “Protection”

• Over 20,000 civilian dead (according to city government estimates)
• 90% of housing stock destroyed
• The overwhelming majority of those killed were Russian-speakers
• A maternity hospital, a theater (with the word “CHILDREN” written outside), schools, and hospitals were destroyed

The Language Situation in Ukraine Before 2022

Facts

According to sociological surveys (KIIS, 2021):

• 30% of the population considered Russian their native language
• Over 40% spoke predominantly or exclusively Russian at home
• In Kyiv — about 50% of the population used Russian as their main everyday language
• In Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro — Russian predominated in everyday life

What This Meant in Practice

• Television: dozens of Russian-language channels, shows, and series
• Internet: the most popular Ukrainian bloggers often created content in Russian
• Cinema: most theaters showed films in Russian
• Books: Russian-language literature was freely sold
• Education: Russian-language schools and universities existed
• Everyday life: no one persecuted anyone for their language of communication

Ukraine was one of the most bilingual countries in Europe. The majority of Ukrainians freely switched between Ukrainian and Russian depending on the situation — a phenomenon known as “surzhyk” or situational bilingualism.

The Language Law of 2019

What the Law Actually Says

The law “On Supporting the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language” (2019) established:

1. Ukrainian is the sole state language (just as French is in France and German is in Germany)
2. Spheres of application of the state language: public administration, education, media, the service sector
3. Private communication is NOT regulated — speak at home, with friends, on the street in any language
4. Minority languages are protected — for Crimean Tatars, Hungarians, Romanians, Poles, and others

What the Law Does NOT Ban

• Does NOT ban speaking Russian on the street, at home, or with friends
• Does NOT impose punishment for using Russian in everyday life
• Does NOT ban Russian-language literature (except imports from Russia after 2022)
• Does NOT require citizens to know the Ukrainian language

The Venice Commission

The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe assessed the 2019 language law and noted:

• The law generally complies with European standards
• It recommended strengthening the protection of minority languages (Hungarian, Romanian) — not Russian
• No human rights violations were found

Comparison with Other Countries

Country	Language Policy	”Oppression”?
France	Only French is the state language. The Toubon Law prohibits foreign words in advertising	No
Latvia	Latvian is the sole state language. Language exam for citizenship. 25% of the population are Russian-speakers	No
Estonia	Estonian is the sole state language. Language exam for citizenship	No
Russia	Russian is the sole state language for 190+ peoples. Minority languages are being displaced	No?
Ukraine	Ukrainian is the state language. Russian is freely used in everyday life	”Genocide!!!”

In Russia itself, the languages of dozens of indigenous peoples (Tatar, Chechen, Buryat, Yakut) are being displaced by Russian. In 2018, Russia abolished mandatory study of national languages in its republics. But somehow this is not “oppression.”

The Irony of “Protection”

Who Actually Suffered

After 2022:

Kharkiv (a predominantly Russian-speaking city):

• Systematic shelling of residential neighborhoods
• Thousands of civilian dead
• Destruction of infrastructure

Odesa (a predominantly Russian-speaking city):

• Missile strikes on residential buildings
• Civilian casualties

Kherson (a significant Russian-speaking population):

• Occupation, torture, filtration
• After liberation — systematic shelling from across the Dnipro

Donetsk and Luhansk:

• Forced mobilization of men — the “protected” were sent to the front as cannon fodder
• Thousands of “protected” people died fighting for Russia against their will

Zelenskyy Is a Russian-Speaker

President Zelenskyy’s native language is Russian. He grew up in Kryvyi Rih, was educated in Russian, and produced the show “Kvartal 95” in Russian. He began actively using Ukrainian only after being elected president — by his own choice, not under compulsion.

If Russian-speakers were “oppressed” in Ukraine, Zelenskyy could not have become a comedic star and then president — with 73% of the vote.

The Language Shift After 2022

After the full-scale invasion, millions of Ukrainians voluntarily switched from Russian to Ukrainian. This is not “oppression” — it is a conscious choice:

• People do not want to speak the language of a country that is bombing them
• The switch to Ukrainian became an act of resistance and identity
• According to 2023 surveys: the share of those who speak Ukrainian at home rose from 44% to 60%+

No one forced anyone. Russia itself did more to popularize the Ukrainian language than any law — simply by attacking Ukraine.

Conclusion

Russia “protects” Russian-speakers by destroying the cities where they live. Mariupol, Kharkiv, Odesa — predominantly Russian-speaking cities that Russia bombs.

This is not “language protection.” This is a pretext for aggression, just like the “protection of Sudeten Germans” in 1938.