Saturday02 November 2024
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"Fines are coming": Media reports on a language controversy involving a member of the Odesa City Council (video).

A member of the Odessa City Council, who was previously affiliated with the "Party of Regions" and the "Opposition Bloc," spoke in Russian at his workplace. He later switched to Ukrainian, but it remains unclear which of the two languages he considers to be his "bad" language.
"Сейчас оштрафуют": СМИ сообщают о языковом конфликте с депутатом Одесского горсовета (видео)

During a meeting of the commission on housing and communal services (HCS) of the Odessa City Council, a language scandal arose involving deputy Alexander Ivanitsky. The official spoke for a while in a non-state language. He then switched from Russian to Ukrainian and recalled that he could be fined for violating language legislation. In the video recording, it can be heard that he referred to one of the languages as "bad." A fragment of Ivanitsky's statement was published on the Telegram channel of the UNIAN agency, and the full meeting can be watched on the city council's YouTube channel.

Ivanitsky's speech took place on October 30, 2024, around 12 PM. The official chaired the commission meeting and spoke predominantly in Ukrainian with occasional Russian words. Among other things, he mentioned workers in the HCS who should receive wages according to the quality of their work — at that moment, he spoke in Russian. A few seconds later, the deputy corrected himself and switched back to Ukrainian. Those present heard a comment about a fine he could receive for using a non-state language in governmental bodies. The recording includes remarks about "switching to a bad language," but it's unclear what exactly was meant: dissatisfaction with the Ukrainian language or the fact that Russian was used.

"Now I'll get fined again [pause — Ed.] I'm switching to this bad language. Sorry," the recording states.

On the Facebook page of deputy Ivanitsky and in media outlets, there are currently no comments regarding the potential language scandal.

Language Scandal in Odessa — Details

Alexander Ivanitsky is a deputy of the VII convocation of the Odessa City Council from the "Trust in Actions" party, as indicated by data from the public movement "Opora" and the website of the governing body. During his previous activity, the official was part of the now-banned political forces "Party of Regions," "Opposition Bloc," among others. Prior to 2014, Ivanitsky was the head of the Belyaevsky District State Administration in Odessa Oblast, and in 2011, he served as the mayor of the city of Chornomorsk (formerly Illichivsk). No information has been found online regarding fines imposed for using a non-state language while performing official duties.

It is noteworthy that, according to data from the Opendatabot portal, 219 protocols for violations of language legislation were compiled in Ukraine during 2024, while there were nearly 2,000 citizen appeals. The leader in the number of appeals is Odessa Oblast (326) and Kyiv (700). Language ombudsman Taras Kremin stated in October that he sees a trend of decreasing appeals and believes this is due to the successful process of Ukrainization.

We remind you that on October 21, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy explained whether language patrols would be in his city. On October 12, news emerged about a conflict in Bucha, where an unknown man attacked a woman with a child because they asked him to speak Ukrainian.