Ukraine considers significantly increasing fines for violating the language law
[66996] Ukraine considers significantly increasing fines for violating the language law
The language commissioner in Ukraine is promoting an initiative to increase fines for using the Russian language in the public sphere by ten times, so they could reach up to 119,000 hryvnia.
Ukraine considers significantly increasing fines for violating the language law
According to reports from a variety of Ukrainian Telegram channels identified with a pro-government line, such as Реальна Війна | Україна | Новини and Україна Online: Новини | Політика, the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, Olena Ivanivska, announced an intention to increase the punishment for violating the Ukrainian language law by 10 times.
The current fines, which currently stand at a range of 3,400 to 5,100 hryvnia for a first violation and up to 11,900 hryvnia for repeat violations, are expected to jump dramatically. As reported in Всевидящее ОКО: Україна, the maximum amount could reach up to 119,000 hryvnia.
In reports in Україна⚡️Новини⚡️Війна and Україна UA: Новини | Політика, it was clarified that the move is intended to combat the use of the Russian language in the public and business spheres. Commissioner Ivanivska noted that "increasing the fines 10 times is a completely realistic option for systematic lawbreakers," as quoted in Ху Київ | Україна.
Sources identified with critical or humorous positions, such as Женьок Вещає…, highlighted the severity of the measure and its expected impact on the public. At the same time, the UA Stream channel noted that according to the Commissioner, "a warning should only be an opportunity for those who made a mistake by accident," which implies an uncompromising approach towards those who knowingly violate the law on a regular basis.