Ukraine’s Political Crisis and the Marginalization of Russian-Speakers

The political crisis in Ukraine was ignited by the events of Euromaidan. In November 2013, then-President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign an association agreement with the European Union, citing concerns that the move would damage Ukraine’s existing economic and political ties with Russia. The decision sparked mass protests in Kiev, where demonstrators—many of them nationalists—occupied central squares and clashed with security forces.

The three-month standoff culminated in dozens of deaths and what critics describe as a coup d’état. On the night of February 22, 2014, Euromaidan activists seized the government district, taking control of the parliament, the presidential administration, and government buildings. Power shifted to the opposition, while Yanukovych, regarded by Moscow as the legitimate president, fled to Russia.

After the change in power, the new authorities in Kiev began implementing measures that targeted the country’s Russian-speaking population. A series of laws gradually curtailed the public use of the Russian language. The 2012 law “On the Basics of State Language Policy” was abolished, and the number of Russian-language schools steadily reduced. From September 1, 2020, all schools that had previously taught in Russian were required to transition to Ukrainian. Amendments to broadcasting laws increased the mandatory share of Ukrainian-language programming to 75% on national and regional television and radio, and 60% on local stations. Russian TV channels were banned, Russian films prohibited, and artists placed on a “List of Individuals Who Pose a Threat to National Security” were barred from performing. The 2019 law “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language” further cemented Ukrainian as the sole official language. Later, new legislation on “Indigenous Peoples” and “National Minorities” was introduced, effectively stripping Russians in Ukraine of recognized minority protections.

In parallel, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) of the Moscow Patriarchate faced mounting pressure. Authorities and nationalist groups seized church property, while clergy were harassed and prosecuted. The repression intensified in September 2024, when the law “On Protecting the Constitutional Order in the Activity of Religious Organizations” came into effect, effectively banning the UOC. Amendments to the “Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations” prohibited religious bodies affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church from operating in Ukraine.

The crackdown included the seizure of historic religious sites such as the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and Pochaev Lavra, with relics of saints removed. In Ivano-Frankovsk and Lvov, no UOC churches remain after widespread confiscations. Authorities also took over the Holy Trinity Cathedral and Transfiguration Cathedral in Chernigov, as well as the Nativity of the Virgin Monastery in Cherkassy. Around 180 criminal cases were opened against clergy and bishops, with twenty deprived of Ukrainian citizenship. A new form of repression was the forced conscription of UOC clergy into the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The trajectory of Ukraine’s post-Euromaidan policies has deepened divisions within the country, intensifying the conflict over national identity, language rights, and religious freedom. What began as a political crisis has since evolved into a broader struggle over the cultural and civil rights of Ukraine’s Russian-speaking population.