DISINFO: 73% of Ukrainians are against the new language law
SUMMARY
In Ukraine, the Russian language has been officially and finally banned. The Ukrainian MPs ‘spat’ in the direction of all those Ukrainians, those 73%, that voted against Poroshenko and these hellish cannibalistic laws. 73% of Ukrainians voted against Poroshenko and this language law.
RESPONSE
Misleading statistics; confusing the election results with a claim that 73% of the Ukrainians being against the recently adopted law "On ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as a state language". According to a poll in 2018, more than half of Ukrainians (61%) believe that the Ukrainian language should be the only state language, while the Russian language should be freely used in all spheres of life. Opinion polls conducted by KMIS, Sociological Group Rating, and GfK Ukraine in 2016-2017 demonstrate that the status of the Russian language is important to just one percent of respondents. KMIS research in May 2017 shows that the share does not exceed 3% even in eastern regions. Claims that the Russian language is officially banned in Ukraine are not true. It is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the Ukrainian language law and discrimination against Russian speakers. Background information On the 25th of April Ukrainian parliament passed the law "On ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as a state language", which establishes mandatory use of Ukrainian in most areas of public and communal life. The new Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyi said he will do a thorough analysis of the new language law. Some Western observers commented on the language law and mentioned its comprehensive nature and possible negative consequences. On May 21 the UN Security Council declined to review Ukrainian language law at Russia’s request.