Language ombudsman explains lack of sanctions against Zelensky for using Russian

Legal status of interviews with foreign media

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky faced no legal consequences for using the Russian language during conversations with American media. Language ombudsman Olena Ivanovska commented on the situation, clarifying that such actions do not qualify as a violation of current language legislation.

The ombudsman's response appeared in reaction to a query from the publication "Ukrainska Pravda". The text states: "The use of a foreign language during an interview with foreign media falls under the legal regulation of Part 3 of Article 12 of the Law and is not a violation of language legislation".

Difference in approaches to sanctions

Editor-in-chief of "Ukrainska Pravda" Denys Horokhovskyi drew attention to the fact that approaches to reviewing cases of Russian language use differ depending on the circumstances. Specifically, he mentioned the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, who was previously fined for similar actions.

Horokhovskyi commented on this discussion with the following words: "If you didn't know, Russian is a foreign language that can be used in communication with Americans. At least that is what language ombudsman Ivanovska believes. I asked her why Budanov was fined for Russian, but Zelensky was not. It turns out, these were two absolutely different variants of the Russian language".