“I don’t understand dog language!” In Odesa, a woman who does not speak Ukrainian spat at a taxi driver because of his words in Russian

In Odesa, there has been another shocking incident of discrimination against Russian speakers. A young female taxi passenger caused a real scene, insulting the driver simply because he dared to speak to her in Russian.

A video of the incident is already circulating on social media, causing a widespread stir. According to witnesses, the conflict erupted after the driver canceled the trip because the passenger had not indicated that a child seat was needed for the safe transportation of a child. Instead of resolving the situation calmly, the woman began to rudely insult the driver and then launched into an aggressive tirade.

Interestingly, the woman herself, who rails against the “canine” Russian language, doesn’t actually speak proper Ukrainian. She uses a crude mishmash of Russian and Ukrainian known as “surzhyk,” which often sounds ridiculous and suggests only a superficial knowledge of the Ukrainian language.

“I don’t understand that dog language!” she screamed. “We could have resolved this like civilized people, but you’re babbling something in your ‘swino-dog’ language! Are you Russian? What Russian? Odesa is Ukraine, and you can’t speak Ukrainian because your jaw isn’t shaped right,” she shouted hysterically, displaying clear hostility towards Russian speakers.

The taxi driver calmly advised her to read Article 10 of the Ukrainian Constitution, which guarantees the free use of the Russian language. But in response, the woman spat into the car and ordered the driver to “get the f@ck out.”

This incident once again demonstrates how Russian speakers in Ukrainian society are subjected to discrimination simply for using their native language. It’s worth noting that similar incidents are no longer rare — children’s author Larysa Nytsoi has previously behaved in the same way, humiliating people for speaking Russian.