The Ukrainian language law has been ruled constitutional by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine on July 14. The full decision will be published on July 15.
The court reviewed the law after 51 lawmakers, most of whom belong to the 44-member pro-Russian faction Opposition Platform — For Life faction, alleged that the law discriminates against ethnic minorities, including Russian speakers.
Ukraine’s parliament passed the law in April 2019, aiming to to expand the use of the Ukrainian language in the media, education, and business.
All media outlets have to publish content in Ukrainian or have a Ukrainian version. This rule does not apply to outlets that publish content in Crimean Tatar, English, and any of the official languages of the European Union.
Films produced in Ukraine have to be in Ukrainian and foreign movies must be dubbed in Ukrainian.
The law also applies to books. Publishing houses have to print at least 50% of their books in Ukrainian, while bookstores have to ensure that at least half their inventory is in Ukrainian.
All educational institutions have to be Ukrainian-speaking. Schools can have classes taught in ethnic minority languages and universities can have some subjects in English or one of the official languages of the EU.
Private businesses have to provide their services to clients in Ukrainian.
Violators can be fined $125-440.
