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Wrote this for Kyiv Post about #Ukraine's new language law, how it is viewed in #Donbas #Donbass and tangled history of Russian and Ukrainian languages in region. THREAD kyivpost.com/article/opinio…
2/ With language law, we need to look at both rights/preferences of modern Donbas Ukrainians and question of historical justice. The two don't overlap perfectly. Case for state promotion of Ukrainian after decades of coercive Soviet language policy is strong
3/ Aggressive promotion of Ukrainian in Donbas per "indiginization" policy and mild thaws in language policy in late Soviet period do not compensate for national terror and destruction of Ukrainian rural life w/collectivization, famine or late Soviet marginilization of language
4/ In Donbas and surrounding rural areas not only Ukrainian suffered from Soviet language policy, but also unique language of Azov Greeks (mixed with Crimean Tatar). National terror against Greeks ravaged this unusual diaspora
5/ And yet... Russian is an indigenous language in the region. Came with fleeing serfs who made up significant minority in settlement of Sloboda Ukraine and Azov Sea regions. Part of ethnic-linguistic mosaic of eastern Ukraine. Not an alien element
6/ Russians dominated in early Donbas proletariat. Russian speaking working class became a sustained subculture that dissolved other languages and ethnic identities. In 1932 ethnic Ukrainians again became majority as moved to cities, but were assimilated nonetheless
7/ This culture now generations old, does not need state coercion to sustain it. On contrary, can only be transformed with a coercive language policy. Some Donbas residents accept law as needed to correct historic injustice, but more common is resentment. Perceived as culture war
8/ #Zelensky cautiously criticized language law. Wants positive examples and stimuli not bans and punishment. Time for him to show what this means. Status quo is untenable, but new law will raise tension in exhausted, divided Donbas. Is there a third way? END
