Language ombudsman demands SBU and GUR explain Russian-language communication during Kyiv shootout

The Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, Olena Ivanovska, has officially contacted the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense and the Security Service of Ukraine demanding an explanation for why their officers communicated in Russian during a shootout in Kyiv on the night of September 2.

She announced this to the Ukrinform news agency in response to its inquiry.

The reason for the appeal was a video that sparked widespread reaction on social media. In the recording, SBU and GUR officers can be heard speaking and shouting exclusively in Russian during the armed confrontation. Users commented on the situation with irony, questioning where the language ombudsman was looking.

“In order to clarify the circumstances and make a balanced decision regarding response measures, I contacted the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Security Service of Ukraine with a demand to provide explanations regarding the actions of their employees who, on September 2, 2026, at the address: Kyiv, Shumskoho Street (Bereznyaky), while performing their official duties, used a non-state language, and also to provide their identifying information,” — Ivanovska told journalists.

The ombudsman added that, based on the analysis of the materials received, she would decide on response measures.

Previously, the Ukrainski Novyny agency had cited the opinion of a social media user regarding Ivanovska’s initial lack of reaction. The Ukrainian woman expressed outrage that the ombudsman fines parents for communicating in Russian in school chats but does not respond to similar actions by law enforcement officers.