As Ukraine, Russia and the United States edge fitfully toward a U.S.-led peace proposal to end the war, much of the public discussion has focused on the contested Donbas region, the question of security guarantees and the shape of any settlement acceptable to Moscow.
But beneath the latest series of negotiations, another long-simmering front in the war has started to come to a head: namely, the fight over language, culture and identity.
On Dec. 3, for example, Kyiv moved to strip Russian of its status under Europe’s Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. And in the Russian-occupied territories in the Donbas, authorities have nixed Ukrainian language instruction and textbooks in schools, replacing them with Russian curricula and materials.
For the Kremlin, preserving the Russian language is linked to what Russia believes it needs for its own security — chiefly, Ukraine as a buffer region between itself and Europe more broadly, said Peter Fraunholtz, assistant teaching professor in history and international affairs at Northeastern University.
“The language component is about preserving Russian influence — certainly in the east, but ideally throughout the region,” Fraunholtz said. “It may seem innocuous, but it’s a powerful symbol for Moscow.”
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