These are some facts:
A) According to annual surveys by the Ukrainian Institute of Sociology (of the National Academy of Sciences) throughout 1994 to 2005:
1.- Average 36% of the Ukrainian population are native Russian speakers.
2.- Average 34% of the population speak mainly Russian in family (at home), while 26% speak both Russian and Ukrainian. This amounts to 60% of the Ukrainians speak often Russian at home, more than half of which speak only Russian.
3.- Average 47% of the respondents deemed necessary to make Russian an official language, whereas 34% didn’t.
B) According to the official Ukrainian census of 2001, the Russian language is native for over 29.3% of the population. However,
C) According to a 2004 poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, the number of people using Russian at home considerably exceeds those who so declared in the census: Russian would be used in family by 43–46% of the country’s population (a similar proportion to Ukrainian speakers).
D) According to a 2012 poll by RATING (an Ukrainian NGO), 40% of the surveyed citizens of age stated that their native language is rather Russian, and 55% rather Ukrainian.
E) When Ukraine gained its independence, in August 1991, the newly formed Government decreed that Ukrainian would be the only state language. Since then, and to this day, the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine forms the largest linguistic group in modern Europe with its language being non-official in the state.
This is my opinion:
This is what I call a languacide; repression; sheer revenge on people who were not guilty of the prior russification of Ukraine. This is to be condemned, reproved, and even fought against. The fact that Ukraine had been long repressed by Russia is no excuse for retaliation on others. This levels the Ukrainians with the Russians, thus losing all moral strength.
Hence, in sight of the recent events in Ukraine and lacking non-biased information, I wonder who are the oppressors and who the oppressed.
Amen brother. I can feel their pain. Here in California we are being invaded by the spanish decendents who were decimated and conquered with and by the culture and language called Spanish/Spain. This disease of bilingualism is changing the California culture and will eventually lead to a serb vs.croat or ukrain vs. russian situation. The riots will start in 10 or 20 years and language and culture will be the catylyst. As Doctor Micheal Savage says: Borders, language and culture. Without a dominant language the state will fail.
Oh, bro! If at least you were being invaded by Spanish culture, you’d be able to enjoy our fabulous garlic with shrimp. Unfortunately, those invaders you mention are nowadays more descendents of USAns; and, culturally, they have much less in common with this side of the ocean than with their northern border. If you were a Spaniard you’d see the difference. Except for the language, the culture has nothing to do with us.
Anyhow, going back to my post, what pisses me off is to witness the neverending oppression of silent majorities by noisy minorities. When you build a new country, no matter how enthusiastic you’re about it, you can’t smash one third of the population and deprive them of the most essential tool in modern societies: language. IF russophones had entered Ukraine after this was independent, I’d understand Russian not to be official. But they were already there, for longer than a century. In my opinion, what was done is simply a crime. Yet a silent one.
Post script: Obama and the liberals are the enemy and responsible for the downfall of a once great state. The roads suck, the liter is out of control and the democrats have been in control for 30 years. they have recieved help from various republicans who are actually libs in the heart. What is the answer? Leadership. Groups like La Raza and mecha are racist groups who have the ear of the liberal will not be happy till gangs run california and the dominoes after. The answer is patriotism and nationalism. Yes, nationalism.
I agree with everything you said. I don’t have too much time to think about it as my hands are full with fighting the magic negro. His Euro socialism must be fought with as much fervor as the war between the states. He and the democrats are out of control and drain hard WORKING people of their funds. Only to redistribute and bring the ships down in the water rather than up. This negro is killing us. Additionally some republicans are trying to help legalize more of the people who broke into my country. As a strong capitalist I remember marks’ statement: a capitalist will sell his enemy the rope in which his enemies will hang him. This socialist has purchased the rope.
There you are! Now, who is more to blame for a disgraceful purchase? The buyer… or the seller?