Seven reports were filed in the Odesa region regarding the use of Russian at council sessions

In the Odesa region, members of two local councils were issued official reports for speaking Russian during plenary sessions. The violations were recorded at the Vilkiv City Council and the Velykobuyalitsa Village Council.

This was reported by Anna Nerush, the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language .

A total of seven reports were filed. Two of them were based on the results of a session of the Vilkivsk City Council in the Izmail District. The other five were based on the results of a session of the Velykobuyalitsa Village Council in the Berezivka District.

What Happened at the Velykobuyalitsa Council

During the meeting, five council members spoke in Russian. Three of them limited themselves to brief remarks or comments. Two others engaged in lengthy discussions specifically in Russian.

According to Anna Nerush, the chair of the meeting drew the deputies’ attention to the need to comply with language legislation.

“However, after these remarks, Ukrainian was used only for a short time,” Nerush noted.

What Happened at the Vilkiv City Council

At the Vilkivska City Council, two council members used a non-official language. In one instance, it was an emotional remark; in the other, a brief comment at the end of the session.

At the same time, the representative of the Commissioner noted the acting mayor’s responsible approach to the requirements of language legislation. She personally oversaw the council members’ explanations and conducted additional explanatory work with the council.

It should be added that, in accordance with Article 12 of the Law “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language,” the working language of local self-government bodies is the state language. This applies to sessions, events, meetings, and work-related communication.

Previously, a language violation report was filed against Igor Koval, the acting mayor of Odesa.

Ірина Глухова