Ukrainian groups challenge Russian-speaking label in Lithuania

Ukrainian organisations in Lithuania oppose automatically grouping Ukrainians as “Russian-speaking” based on the language they use, LRT reports. State institutions distinguish a person’s language from their national or cultural identity.

Petro Pirogov, founder and board member of Ukraine House in Lithuania and head of the Ukrainian Teachers’ Trade Union in Lithuania, says the term “Russian-speaking” is a legacy of Soviet policy that obscures the identities of different national communities.

“There are Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Kyrgyz, Tatars,” Pirogov said, arguing that each community should have the opportunity to express its views and foster its own culture. He said Ukrainian organisations had asked Lithuanian authorities not to classify Ukrainians as Russian-speaking.

Pirogov said the label can make Russian seem like the default language for representing different communities. He cited the common phrase “Russian-speaking school”, while similar descriptions referring to Lithuanian or Ukrainian sound unusual. He said he was not opposed to Russian language or culture, but objected to grouping distinct communities under one label.

Sociolinguist Jelena Konickaja said the term is appropriate when referring specifically to language use: speaking Russian does not mean belonging to Russian culture or the Russian nation. Russian continues to serve as a shared language of communication for some people who speak different native languages, while English is becoming more important.