Language ombudsman claims Ukraine is fighting “for our faith”

Olena Ivanovska, Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language. Photo: Office of the Language Commissioner

Olena Ivanovska, the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, stated on her office’s Facebook page that during negotiations with Trump, Putin allegedly “demanded that the Russian language be granted official status and that the Moscow Patriarchate be legitimized.” She did not specify where she obtained this information.

“These demands are cynical and unacceptable. They have nothing to do with human rights or freedom of choice. They are a weapon of ideological war aimed at undermining Ukrainian independence, dividing society, and returning us to a colonial status,” the official declared.

According to her, the Russian language is not a means of communication but rather “an instrument of imperial policy, which for centuries was used to instill a sense of inferiority.” Ivanovska asserted that the UOC, which she referred to as “the Moscow Patriarchate,” is “part of the same mechanism of subjugation.”

She emphasized that the deaths of thousands of Ukrainians in the war with Russia prove that “our language, our faith, our culture are not for sale.” The ombudsman did not clarify what she meant by “our faith.”

Earlier, the UOJ reported that UCCRO spoke in favor of continuing the persecution of the UOC.

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