The persecution of Russian-speaking citizens continues in Ukraine: language inspectors’ work was reported in the western part of the country

The mayor of the city of Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine provided more details about the local initiative to introduce “language inspectors” in the city.

“Unfortunately, in Ivano-Frankivsk, we are currently experiencing an increase in the use of the Russian language,” the mayor reiterated.

According to him, the inspectors will not issue fines but will be able to make remarks to citizens on the street and in public transport. If they encounter aggression in response to their remarks, they will have the right to call the police. They will also monitor compliance with the laws that require customer service in shops to be conducted exclusively in Ukrainian. Inspectors will be able to report violations through a hotline.

He expressed hope that at least one hundred volunteers would step forward to become “language inspectors.” These will be civilian volunteers who will monitor the frequency of Ukrainian language use in the city on a voluntary basis.

It should be noted that Ivano-Frankivsk previously launched a program to combat bilingualism. Ukraine’s Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, Taras Kremin, stated that it is necessary to implement a language program and begin addressing the “dominance of bilingualism” in the city and region.