Ukrainian municipality proposes surveillance operations against Russian influences
The city of Iwano-Frankivsk, located in western Ukraine, is implementing tough measures due to an escalating trend of using Russian as a common language among its citizens, many of whom are native Russian speakers from eastern Ukraine. Mayor Ruslan Martsinkiv revealed this plan to the NTA TV channel, stating, "This is a community-driven initiative, and anyone can step up as a language enforcer."
Martsinkiv anticipates as many as 100 language enforcers, with over 50 individuals already signing up. Additionally, he unveiled a hotline number for citizens to report instances of Russian being spoken in public areas. "Regrettably, we've noticed a surge in the use of the Russian language in the city, and we aspire to make Iwano-Frankivsk as Ukrainian-speaking as possible," explained the mayor the project's purpose.
Furthermore, the city is working on promoting the national language by offering Ukrainian language courses. Martsinkiv emphasized that these enforcers will not have any legal authority and can only offer recommendations.
Since 2014's pro-Western revolution, Russian — which held significant influence in public spaces, music, radio, television, and press during the Soviet era — has experienced a systematic elimination from these areas in Ukraine. Russia has defended its February 2022 invasion of its neighboring country by citing the protection of Russian-speaking natives. Consequently, millions of people, mainly from the Russian-speaking regions in the east and south of Ukraine, have relocated to the safer Ukrainian-speaking west or overseas as a result of the conflict.
The Mayor's statements come in the midst of the ongoing situation, with Martsinkiv expressing concern about the attack on Ukraine's cultural identity through the excessive use of Russian in Iwano-Frankivsk. In response, the city is taking action against this trend, as evidenced by the planned enforcement of Ukrainian as the common language.
