Two-thirds of Ukrainians want Russian removed from official use, poll finds
According to the poll, 65% of Ukrainians believe Russian should be completely removed from official communication in the country. Only 5% support granting Russian the status of a second state language.
Another 22% said Russian could be used officially in specific regions if a majority of locals supported it. However, more than half of that group — 12% of all respondents — said they would not want Russian to receive official status in their own region. Only 8% would support such a move locally, while 2% were undecided.
Overall, 77% of Ukrainians oppose any official role for Russian, either nationwide or in their own region. By contrast, only 13% would like Russian to have official status in their region or to become a second state language.
The researchers also examined attitudes toward claims that Russian-speaking citizens face discrimination or persecution in Ukraine.
According to the survey, the share of Ukrainians who believe Russian speakers are being persecuted or discriminated against rose from 5% in 2022 to 17%. An overwhelming majority — 78% — said they see no problems with the use of Russian in Ukraine.
Even among respondents who believe Russian speakers face discrimination or persecution, most still support removing Russian from official use. 55% of that group favors eliminating Russian from official communication nationwide, or at least in their own region. Only 30% would like Russian to have official status in their region or become a second state language.
Regional differences
In Ukraine's east, 39% of respondents said Russian speakers face pressure or discrimination. However, a majority of residents in the region — 56% — said they see no problems with the use of Russian.
The situation is similar in Ukraine's south and the Lower Dnipro region. A large majority reported seeing no signs of discrimination: 81% in the south and 77% in the Lower Dnipro region.
On language policy, 48% of respondents in eastern Ukraine oppose granting Russian official status, either nationwide or in their own region. Twenty-eight percent support official status for Russian, while 24% remain undecided.
In southern Ukraine, 58% support removing Russian from official use, while 31% favor granting it official status.
In the Lower Dnipro region, an overwhelming majority — 74% — support removing Russian from official use. Only 17% would like to see it retain official status.
The survey was conducted through telephone interviews using a random sample of mobile phone numbers. A total of 1,000 adults living in Ukrainian government-controlled territory participated in the study.
Residents of temporarily occupied territories and Ukrainian citizens who left the country after February 24, 2022, were not included in the sample.
According to the researchers, under normal circumstances, the margin of error does not exceed 4.1% for indicators near 50%, 3.5% for indicators near 25%, 2.5% for indicators near 10%, and 1.8% for indicators near 5%, with a 95% confidence level and a design effect of 1.3.
As previously reported, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi signed Law No. 4699-IX, which removes Russian from the list of languages to which Ukraine applies the provisions of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The law also updates the Ukrainian translation of the charter and removes references to the Moldovan language.
On December 3, 2025, Ukraine's parliament passed amendments proposed by the Ministry of Culture concerning the updated official translation of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The bill was supported by 264 lawmakers.
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18 of June 2026
