I see no need to increase language fines - Language Ombudswoman

Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language Olena Ivanovska believes that at present it is not necessary to strengthen sanctions and increase fines for violations of language legislation.

"Currently, guided by the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses, we consider cases exclusively concerning individuals. However, if a new Administrative Code is adopted, it provides for the delimitation of liability - separately for individuals and separately for legal entities. This will also mean differentiation of the size of fines: you must agree, a fine for a large company and for an individual cannot be the same in impact," Ivanovska said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine, answering the question of whether there are plans to initiate changes to the system of fines for violations of language legislation.

At the same time, she emphasized that the Commissioner does not have the goal of punishing, and a fine is not an end in itself, but a last resort.

"But when a person deliberately ignores the law, when there is obvious disregard, then the state must react. And this responsibility must be not only personal, but also corporate, when violations are committed by businesses or organizations. We, as a society, must move towards ensuring that speech does not require punitive protection, but now, unfortunately, there are still situations when this is unavoidable. And in such cases, the state must have effective response tools," the Commissioner added.

When asked whether there is a need to increase speech fines, Ivanovska replied that she does not see such a need today.

"We live in extremely difficult times - the war is ongoing, people are losing their homes, relatives, and sources of income. And in such conditions, talking about strengthening punitive instruments is not just inappropriate, but also, in my opinion, morally sensitive. I am convinced that our language policy should be primarily about support, understanding, and unity around common ground - and not about fear of punishment. Of course, the law should be in effect. And where there is a conscious, demonstrative violation, we need to react. But in general, we should not worry about how to punish more, but how to avoid violations altogether - through dialogue, education, and respect," she said.

The language ombudswoman emphasized that the system of fines already exists and works, but it is not worth strengthening sanctions.

As reported, for the first violation of the Law of Ukraine "On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language," a fine of UAH 3,400 to 8,500 is provided, and for a second violation - from UAH 8,500 to 11,900.

As reported, the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language imposed 127 fines for violations of language legislation in 2022-2025. In particular, in 2022, nine fines were imposed for UAH 27,200, in 2023 - 21 fines for UAH 85,000 UAH and in 2024 - 97 fines for a total amount of UAH 360,400.