77% of Ukrainians are against the Russian language in the official sphere: only 5% want it as a second state language

The vast majority of Ukrainians support removing the Russian language from the official sphere. Only 5% of respondents would like Russian to become a second state language in Ukraine.

This is shown by the results of an survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.

According to sociologists, 65% of Ukrainians believe that the Russian language should not be used in official communication in Ukraine.

Another 22% of respondents allow that the Russian language could have official status in certain regions if the majority of local residents desire it. However, most within this group do not support this idea for their own region.

Thus, among these 22% only 8% would like the Russian language to be official in their region. Another 12% allow this possibility for other oblasts, but not for their own region. Another 2% could not decide on an answer.

KIIS explained that the overall picture shows a significant advantage of supporters of removing the Russian language from the official sphere.

“Thus, in total 77% are either for removing the Russian language from the official sphere across the entire territory, or at least in their own region. Only 13% would like the Russian language to be official in their region or to be a state language across the entire territory of Ukraine”, – the sociologists noted.

The survey was conducted by telephone interviews on the basis of a random sample of mobile numbers. The study included 1000 adult citizens residing in territory controlled by Ukraine.

Residents of temporarily occupied territories and Ukrainians who left abroad after 24 February 2022 were not included in the sample.

These results appeared against the backdrop of important language decisions by the state. Recently the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law that excludes the Russian language from the list of languages to which the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages applies in Ukraine.

Back in December 2025 the Verkhovna Rada removed Russian from the list of languages subject to protection in the country. After the law is signed the provisions of the Charter will apply to Belarusian, Bulgarian, Gagauz, Crimean Tatar, Modern Greek, German, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, Hungarian, Czech and Hebrew.

Earlier, parliament also approved changes to the samples of the Ukrainian passport, in particular the citizen of Ukraine passport in booklet form and the travel document for going abroad. From now on entries in such documents must not contain the Russian language.

Earlier we wrote:

• Public space without “Russian world”: a demonstrative decision adopted
• A Russian song was played in the “Mida” store: visitors were outraged over “Matushka Zemlya”
• Fines for ignoring the Ukrainian language may increase tenfold: the language ombudswoman demands tough changes
• Fines up to 11,900 UAH: Korabelnyi business was again checked under the language law
• In the fifth year of the war, 71% of Ukrainians still consume Russian-language content