Language Policy of Ukraine as a Source of Ethno-Political Destabilization

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the influence of the language policy on political stability in Ukraine. The article examines the current provisions of the Ukrainian legislation related to the development of language policy, as well as the provisions of the latest draft laws on the status of languages in Ukraine. The authors have analyzed recent trends in the development of language policy, which are a source of destabilization in modern Ukraine.The problem of ethno-political stability becomes one of the key problems for the modern Ukrainian state. This issue was on a par with socio-economic issues and foreign policy interaction. Its scientific analysis is necessary to determine the impact of the state language policy implemented in Ukraine on the development of all regions of the country, which have significant differences in their national composition, history and traditions. In this context, the study of this issue has not only theoretical but also practical importance.One of the draft laws regulating the language sphere assumes that foreign citizens who intend to obtain Ukrainian citizenship will have to take exams in the Ukrainian language. The required level of proficiency will be determined by the national Commission on the standards of the Ukrainian language. It will be created if the bill is passed by Parliament. This Commission will be entrusted with the task of determining the necessary level of proficiency in the state language for the persons willing to occupy certain positions.The bill provides for the introduction of mandatory use of the state Ukrainian language by various authorities. It provides for the use of the Ukrainian language not only for documentation, but also for pre-election campaigns carried out at the expense of the state budget. The main trends that occur in the language sphere of Ukraine prove that they are part of the processes that occur in all the former republics of the USSR. They include the revival of interest in the national language and national culture, the desire to expand the social functions of the national language in different spheres of communication in each of the newly independent states and constitute a part of the process of statehood assertion.

Keywords

• political stability
• ethno-political destabilization
• language policy
• conflicts
• interethnic relations
• national minorities
• ukrainization