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People hold the blue and yellow national flag during a joint prayer at Saint Peter and Paul Garrison Church as part of the celebration of the 34th anniversary of hoisting the Ukrainian flag over Lviv Town Hall, Lviv, on April 3, 2024. (Anastasiia Smolienko / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

When asked which language they speak at home, 12% of Ukrainians said they speak only Russian, while 59% said they speak only Ukrainian, according to a poll by the Sociological Group Rating published on April 4.

A similar survey conducted by Rating in 2022 showed that 18% of respondents spoke exclusively Russian at home. At the end of 2021, shortly before the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, 26% of respondents said they spoke only Russian at home.

The latest survey also showed that 28% of respondents said they speak a mix of both languages at home.

Among those who only speak Ukrainian, 9% of respondents said they had recently switched to Ukrainian.

In the west of Ukraine, 93% of respondents said they speak exclusively Ukrainian at home. The results were more mixed in the east of Ukraine, where 23% speak only Ukrainian, 25% speak only Russian, and 51% speak a mix of both at home.

The poll was conducted via telephone interviews with 2,000 respondents living across Ukraine, except in areas under Russian occupation.

Ukraine's Culture Ministry recently launched a program aimed at bolstering the Ukrainian language's role in everyday life, with the aim that by 2030, 80% of Ukrainians speak Ukrainian at home.

A poll in March showed that Ukrainians are widely opposed to the use of the Russian language in official settings, with 81% against Russian being used as an official language in their region or as a state language.

‘Flicking’ away Russia: Ukrainians de-Russify sign language
When the expert committee at the Ukrainian Society of the Deaf was working on de-Russifying the word “thank you” after the start of the full-scale war, there was the suggestion to leave it be, Tetiana Kryvko, the society’s deputy head, tells the Kyiv Independent. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion…
Three years of reporting, funded by our readers.
Millions read the Kyiv Independent, but only one in 10,000 readers makes a financial contribution. Thanks to our community we've been able to keep our reporting free and accessible to everyone. For our third birthday, we're looking for 1,000 new members to help fund our mission and to help us prepare for what 2025 might bring.
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6:16 AM

North Korea ratifies defense treaty with Russia.

North Korea has formalized a mutual defense treaty with Russia, according to state media reports on Nov. 12. The agreement commits both nations to come to each other's aid in the event of an armed attack.
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