Про деякі аспекти функціонування російської мови в Україні в контексті мовної політики та національної безпеки

Анотація

Background. Russia’s annexation of Crimea and military aggression in the East of Ukraine took place under the pretext of defending the Russian and Russian-speaking people. Those events showed the importance of the language issue for the security and territorial unity of the state. It is a threat and a challenge for the language policy of Ukraine. 

Purpose. The article aims to analyze various aspects of the functioning of the Russian language in Ukraine and the factors affecting it. The awareness of these aspects is needed in the context of national security and considered in the language policy. 

Results. Authorities of the Russian Federation use Russian language as a soft power to achieve its geopolitical goals. Based on the analysis of the official documents and speeches by the authorities of the Russian Federation, it was established that Russia would not withdraw from interfering in Ukraine’s internal affairs through and with the help of the Russian language. Its aim is to establish the Russian language as the second state language in Ukraine, because Ukrainian-speaking Ukraine is a threat to it. The Russian language is an instrument of the Kremlin’s influence and it will not give it up. It is a powerful tool for manipulating Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine. They are the Kremlin technology, an artificial category, which Russia treats as compatriots. Russification during the USSR led to the denationalization of the part of the Ukrainians, breaking the bonds with the language, culture and traditions of their ancestors. Changing the language caused a change in the perception of the world, because every language conceptualizes the world in a different way, which is also confirmed by sociological research. The Ukrainian-speaking citizens have different perceptions and interpretations of reality than their Russian-speaking compatriots. Only 11% of the Russian-speaking Ukrainian identify themselves with the Russian culture. The language policy of Ukraine should encourage Russianspeaking citizens to return to their cultural roots, help them to integrate with the Ukrainian language and culture sphere.

Key words: Russian language, Ukraine, language policy, national security.