Language Policy in Ukraine - Overview and Analysis

Abstract

Since Ukraine gained its independence in 1991, except during Viktor Yanukovych’s presidency, Ukraine’s language policy has been marked by efforts to close the prestige gap between the Russian and Ukrainian languages and to enforce the Ukrainian language in all domains of public use. When it joined the Council of Europe in 1995, Ukraine was obliged to implement the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, which strengthens the position of Russian. The controversial language law of 2019 gives the Ukrainian language supremacy in all areas of public life, which is hardly questioned anymore due to Russian aggression.