Russian language in the building chat: who faces a warning and a fine of up to 6,800 UAH

Residents of an apartment building are not prohibited from communicating with each other in Russian. However, if Viber, Telegram or another chat is used as an official channel of the OSBB (condominium association) to inform co-owners, the work-related communication of the chair and other officials of the association must be in Ukrainian. In the Cherkasy region the head of one OSBB was already warned for using a non-state language in such a chat. This was reported on September 1, 2026 by the Secretariat of the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language.

This is not about banning Russian in all “house chats”. During state control it was established that the specific Viber chat was effectively the main channel of communication between the OSBB chair and the co-owners, and the messages in it related to the performance of his official duties. That is why the requirements of Article 30 of the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language” were applied to such communication.

As the representative of the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language Yelyzaveta Sachura reported, the OSBB chair in the Cherkasy region communicated with co-owners in a non-state language and considered it his private matter.

During the inspection it was established that the OSBB is a legal entity and the chat is used within the activities of the association. Therefore, information that an official provides to residents while performing their duties must be in Ukrainian. As a result of the control, the OSBB chair was issued a warning and given 30 days to remedy the violation.

Representative of the Commissioner Yelyzaveta Sachura, commenting on the situation, urged co-owners to document such violations and file complaints.

“Such behavior of OSBB heads – may be caused by false stereotypes, an information vacuum, legal ignorance, or something worse. If your right as an OSBB co-owner to be served in the state language is violated, document the violations and file a complaint. The language of the community – is both rules and mutual respect” – the representative explained.

The law on the state language does not regulate private communication between citizens. If neighbors discuss personal matters in Russian, English, or any other language, this in itself is not a violation of language legislation.

A different situation arises when the chat effectively becomes the OSBB’s working channel: through it the chair or other officials inform about payments, repairs, accidents, meetings, board decisions, utility outages and other matters of the association’s activities. In such cases, information from the OSBB must be provided in the state language.

In the case of a violation of Article 30 of the language law, the Commissioner or his representative first draws up a report, issues a warning to the business entity and requires the violation to be corrected within 30 days. If a similar violation repeats within one year, a fine of between 5,100 and 6,800 hryvnias may be imposed. So the wording “fine for Russian in the house chat” is not entirely accurate. There are no fines for neighbors’ private correspondence. Liability may arise specifically for violating co-owners’ right to receive information and service in the state language from the OSBB.

If the chair or other representatives of the OSBB systematically conduct official communication in a non-state language, co-owners are advised to document the violation, for example by taking screenshots of the correspondence, and submit a complaint to the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language through the official complaint form.

At the Commissioner’s Office they note that the problem potentially affects a large number of people: according to open sources, as of the end of 2024 there were over 40,000 OSBBs in Ukraine.

Previously we wrote:

• Fines for Russian in school chats: the ombudswoman reminded parents and teachers of the rules
• A Russian cartoon in the first grade cost a teacher a 3,400 hryvnia fine
• 1,501 appeals to the language ombudsman in half a year: Kyiv – 507 complaints, main violators – websites
• Russian language, signs and books: the “Masks” theatre in Odesa was issued four protocols
• 77% of Ukrainians are against the Russian language in the official sphere: only 5% want it as a second state language