The petition posted on the official portal of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which proposes a complete ban on Russian-language versions of websites within the country, has gathered the necessary 25,000 signatures for consideration. As of December 10, 2025, the initiative has received support from 25,204 individuals, with six days remaining until the end of the signature collection period.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Essence of the Petition and Author’s Argument
The author of the petition, Oleksandr Leonenko, emphasizes in his address that, according to current legislation, citizens of Ukraine must be proficient in the state language, and questions the appropriateness of having Russian-language versions of websites in the country. He notes that if such versions are created for citizens of Russia, it contradicts the interests of Ukraine, as Russia is an aggressor state. At the same time, he believes that for foreign audiences, English-language pages are sufficient, as English is the commonly accepted international language.
“Who is the Russian-language version of websites in Ukraine intended for? If it is for Russians, then why are we creating websites for our enemy, who has come to kill us with war? If it is for citizens of other countries, then the international language is English, not Russian,” he argues.
In Leonenko’s opinion, the presence of Russian-language pages on Ukrainian web resources is a manifestation of “colonial remnants” and poses threats to the country’s information security, strengthening the influence of the Russian Federation on the Ukrainian information space.
Further Actions and Statistics on Language Law Violations
The initiator of the petition demands that the Cabinet of Ministers develop and submit to the Verkhovna Rada a draft law that would establish a complete ban on Russian-language versions of websites in Ukraine. It is planned that amendments will be made to the law “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language” to prohibit the creation of website pages in Russian, as well as to provide for liability for violations of this norm.
According to regulations, the government must begin consideration of the petition within three days after the completion of the signature collection. The total review period should not exceed ten working days from the moment the information about the start of this process is published.
It is worth noting that, according to data from the secretariat of the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, 2,227 complaints from citizens regarding violations of the law “On the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language” were registered during the first three quarters of 2025. This is 27% more than in the same period last year, when 1,633 complaints were recorded.