Analysis of the Bill on Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language (No. 15412, dated July 15, 2026)

The issue of the Ukrainian language’s role as the state language is one of the key elements in ensuring Ukraine’s constitutional order, its national security, and its national unity. The Constitution of Ukraine designates Ukrainian as the official language, and the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the Official Language” establishes the legal framework for its use in the activities of state authorities, local self-government bodies, education, culture, the service sector, and other areas of public importance.

Draft Law No. 15412 of July 15, 2026, aims to strengthen the role of the Ukrainian language, eliminate gaps in language legislation, and limit the influence of the aggressor state’s language in the public sphere by amending the current Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian

Language as the State Language,” the Electoral Code of Ukraine, and the laws “On the Notarial System,” “On Physical Culture and Sports,” “On Museums and Museum Affairs,” “On Local Self-Government in Ukraine,” “On Local State Administrations,” “On Extracurricular Education,” “On the Protection of Children,” “On the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine,” “On Children’s Health and Recreation,” “On Culture,” and a number of other regulatory and legal acts. Overall, the concept of the draft law shifts from simply “promoting the acquisition” of the language to “ensuring the comprehensive development and functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language.”

The main innovations can be divided into several key areas.

1. Strengthening State Language Policy

One of the main innovations of the draft law is a change in the approach to state language policy. While the current version of the law focuses primarily on promoting the mastery of the state language, the draft law significantly broadens this concept. Instead, it introduces the concept of ensuring the comprehensive development and functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language. This wording has a broader meaning, as it entails not only teaching citizens the Ukrainian language but also creating conditions for its active use in all spheres of life. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine must ensure the operation of language courses, support the development of educational institutions, and create opportunities for learning the Ukrainian language through both formal education and informal learning. In practice, this means a shift from a declarative language policy to more active state support for the development of the Ukrainian language.

2. Expanding the group of individuals required to be proficient in the official language:

The draft significantly expands the list of professions and positions for which knowledge of the Ukrainian language is a mandatory requirement:

• Self-employed individuals: Requirements regarding the use of the state language now apply to individuals engaged in independent professional activities (private contractors, arbitration managers, auditors, accountants, and appraisers).
• Leadership positions: The list now includes heads of state scientific institutions, as well as state cultural institutions and institutions with national status.
• Civil Service and Law Enforcement Agencies: Individuals applying for service in the National Police, the State Penitentiary Service, as well as members of the Cabinet of Ministers, must submit a certificate or a copy of a document attesting to the appropriate level of proficiency in the state language.
• Employment Requirements: The mandatory use of the official language will now directly apply to the hiring process.

3. Changes to the electoral process:

The Electoral Code of Ukraine will undergo significant changes:

• Candidates for the office of President of Ukraine and candidates for the Verkhovna Rada must submit a state certificate confirming their proficiency in the Ukrainian language.
• Members of election commissions are required to use the official language while performing their duties.
• For violations of language legislation (repeated within a year), a member of an election commission may be held accountable, which constitutes grounds for termination of their powers.

4. Service Sector, IT, Administration, and Advertising:

The bill establishes clearer rules for businesses and the service sector:

• Interfaces and Applications: Mobile applications developed by businesses, media outlets, political parties, and self-employed individuals must have a Ukrainian-language version that downloads by default in Ukraine. If a computer program does not have a Ukrainian-language interface, the buyer must be notified of this before purchasing it.
• Customer Service: The language law applies to the “personal provision of services.”
• Official documents: The language of official documents issued by government agencies, businesses, and institutions must strictly comply with the standards of the state language. The language used in notarial proceedings and document circulation is exclusively the state language.
• Advertising and Announcements: Text in another language in public visual or textual information (for example, on signs or directional signs) may not be larger than the font size of the text in Ukrainian.

5. Education, Culture, Sports, and Recreation:

The draft strictly limits the use of the aggressor state’s language and protects the Ukrainian-language sphere:

• Education: The use of the language of the aggressor state is expressly prohibited in extracurricular education. Private schools have the right to freely choose the language of instruction; however, this cannot be the language of the occupying state, and they are required to ensure that students master the state language. In addition, the state will ensure the assessment of language competencies among preschool- and early elementary-aged children.
• Culture: The public performance and display of works, recordings, or music videos performed in the language of the aggressor state or created by citizens of the aggressor state are prohibited (with certain exceptions for those who are citizens of Ukraine and do not hold a Russian passport).
• Sports and Children’s Camps: Physical education and health-promotion activities, sporting events (including international events held in Ukraine), and the operations of children’s health and recreation facilities must be conducted in the state language.

6. Oversight and Accountability:

The powers of the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language are strengthened, and the procedure for imposing fines is made more detailed:

• The Commissioner is granted the right to monitor compliance with the law by self-employed individuals.
• The deadline for conducting a language review or enforcement measures is set at 30 business days, with the possibility of an extension for another 30 business days.
• Fines for Businesses: If the violation is a first offense, the Commissioner may issue a warning or impose a fine ranging from 400 to 1,000 non-taxable minimum incomes (6,800 UAH – 17,000 UAH). For a repeat violation within one year, the fine increases and will range from 1,200 to 1,500 non-taxable minimum incomes (20,400 UAH – 25,500 UAH).

An analysis of Draft Law No. 15412 of July 15, 2026, on Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language shows that these legislative changes are systematic in nature. They close loopholes for the use of non-state languages in the service sector, extend requirements to independent professionals and candidates for elected office, and establish a strict barrier against the cultural and educational influence of the occupying state. The bill aims to make the Ukrainian language the only option in the country’s governmental, civic, and business life.