Proposal targets Russian-language arts
Odesa's city council is set to vote this week on a plan to prohibit Russian-language content in music, literature, and public venues. The measure would apply to streets, parks, public institutions, and state-run arts spaces, and would also recommend a ban in private establishments. This comes amid daily Russian drone and missile attacks on the city.[S1]
If approved, the ban would remove all Russian-language books from public library displays and halt the playing of Russian-language songs in public, even those by Ukrainian artists. Currently, such books can be shown but not prominently, and songs by Russian citizens are already illegal with exceptions for those who condemned the war.[S1]
Passions run high in Russian-speaking city
Odesa is predominantly Russian-speaking, making the proposal particularly contentious. Lawyer Artem Kartashov, who advises local authorities on 'decolonisation', argues that Russian is a weapon used to undermine Ukrainian identity, especially among youth. However, comic actor Borys Barsky, who runs a private theatre, contends that Russian is not just Putin's language but also that of Dostoyevsky and Bulgakov, and that such bans only benefit Putin by dividing Ukrainians.[S1]
The proposal mirrors measures already in force in Kyiv and other cities. Odesa's language ombudswoman, Anna Nerush, believes that even without sanctions, businesses will comply because they depend on local government permits and leases. She notes that hearing Russian on the streets can trigger trauma for former prisoners of war and those from occupied territories.[S1]
Broader context of language laws
A 2019 Ukrainian law requires the use of Ukrainian in many public and professional domains, including education and customer service. Employees who interact with the public must initially address people in Ukrainian, but can switch to Russian if the customer prefers. Since the 2022 invasion, many native Russian speakers have adopted Ukrainian, yet some, such as anthropologist Anastasia Piliavsky, contend that Russian speakers are being treated as inferior.[S1]
Photographer Natalia Mykhailenko, who switched to Ukrainian years ago, supports the laws, saying Ukraine was a colony and these measures are essential for its future. The city has already removed a statue of Catherine the Great and renamed streets to honor Ukrainian figures. The debate highlights the tension between cultural decolonisation and freedom of expression.[S1]
