DISINFO: Russian language is entirely forbidden in Ukraine
SUMMARY
The Russian language was cancelled entirely in Ukraine: education in Russian was cancelled, the media in Russian was cancelled.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Ukraine and discrimination against Russian speakers. On April 25, the Verkhovna Rada passed the law "on ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as a state language". The law establishes mandatory use of the Ukrainian language in most areas of public and communal life, including the mass media, education, science, etc. However, the law does not forbid the use of Russian or other languages in private communication and religious ceremonies. Moreover, Russian and other languages can be present in book publishing, the press, including radio and television, education and the service sector. The law allows the use of other languages in the healthcare system and law enforcement. In addition to this, the law stipulates that in accordance with the European Charter for Regional Languages and Languages of National Minorities, the government should develop a law safeguarding language-rights of the minorities within six months of the language law entering into force. For discrimination of the Ukrainian language, including in favour of Russian, only administrative penalties are foreseen by law. For violating language policy in the humanitarian sphere - education, science, culture, sports - there is a fine of 200-300 times the non-taxable minimum wage (now it has risen from 3400 to 5100 hryvnias). The entry into force is delayed for three years. Similar disinformation case can be found here. For background on the Ukrainian language laws, see here.