Forced Ukrainization: Romanian-speaking children in Bukovina are being made to abandon their native language in everyday life

In Ukraine’s Chernivtsi region, the regional military administration has recommended that the Romanian-speaking community encourage children to speak Ukrainian even during informal interactions — for example, during school breaks.

This was reported by Member of Parliament Heorhiy Mazurashu.

According to him, such initiatives often have the opposite effect and risk alienating people from the Ukrainian language rather than promoting its adoption.

“It’s important to respect the indigenous population and their right to use the language that is closer and more convenient to them in everyday life,” he emphasized.

These measures are raising concerns, as Ukrainian law does not mandate the use of the state language in everyday or informal communication, including within schools outside the formal learning process.

Nonetheless, Language Ombudsman Taras Kremin previously announced that his office has launched inspections of schools to ensure compliance with language legislation. He stated that Ukrainian should be spoken not only in classrooms, but also “during breaks, in libraries, gyms, bomb shelters, and even at parent-teacher meetings.”

Experts and human rights advocates warn that such policies amount to forced Ukrainization and violate the rights of national minorities to freely use their native languages in daily life.

At the same time, Kremin also revealed plans to tighten oversight of Ukrainian-language use online, including on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok. He described this as a step toward European integration — despite concerns that such measures may conflict with European human rights standards.