Russia intends to eliminate the teaching of the Ukrainian language and literature from the national school curriculum, including in regions of Ukraine currently under Russian control, according to a draft order from the Education Ministry reported by the business daily Kommersant.
The Education Ministry cited the “altered geopolitical landscape” as the justification for its decision, as mentioned by Kommersant.
Previously, Ukrainian was a compulsory subject for children in partly occupied areas like Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
In other parts of Russia and in occupied Ukrainian territories, Ukrainian language courses have been offered if requested by parents. During the 2023-2024 academic year, such classes were sought in annexed Crimea and in the partially occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as in Bashkortostan.
At present, students in regions where Ukrainian is taught engage with the language for a total of 736 hours throughout their elementary to high school education.
In addition, the draft order proposes removing Ukrainian literature from the curriculum for grades one through nine, where it previously accounted for 282 hours of instruction. It will only remain a subject in the tenth and eleventh grades.
Independent political analyst Abbas Gallyamov commented on this development on his Telegram channel, expressing skepticism about the same authorities who seek to eliminate the Ukrainian language in occupied regions while demanding respect for Russian in areas they have not successfully seized.
Since the beginning of its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has faced accusations of systematically attempting to erase Ukrainian identity and culture in the territories it controls.
Just last November, President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the charm and beauty of the Ukrainian language and culture, while accusing Kyiv of allegedly compelling native Russian speakers to learn Ukrainian.
He urged local authorities to avoid forcibly enforcing the Russian language in occupied areas, advocating for a “gentle and natural” approach to language policy.
In the first year of the invasion, Putin warned officials against attempts to prohibit the Ukrainian language, highlighting that approximately 3 million Ukrainians reside in Russia.
“How could we deny them their language and culture? We have no such intentions,” he stated.
As of spring 2025, a new literature textbook for Russian schools reportedly excluded references to Ukraine, including details about the Ukrainian origins of writer Nikolai Gogol.
