Incident at the School of Anna Salivanchuk's Son
Ukrainian actress Anna Salivanchuk has publicly described an incident at her son's school. In an Instagram post, she recounted that while children were gathering for a class, she heard students conversing in Russian. The actress confronted the teachers, demanding they address the situation. She stated:
'The first lesson was slightly delayed due to an air raid alarm, and while the children were gathering... I heard everyone speaking Russian. I made a remark, said it was unacceptable and inappropriate—this is the fourth year of war—and went to see Mykyta in kindergarten. I returned through the same door and heard them continuing in Russian. Even worse, I heard my own son, Hlib, also using Russian words. I approached them and asked: how is this to be understood?' Anna Salivanchuk
Salivanchuk further reported that the teachers did not support her stance, claiming that other parents had appealed to the school director to permit their children to speak Russian. She added:
'I approached the teachers and said they should give them poor grades, assign extra homework, so they understand it's not acceptable. And what did the teachers tell me? That the parents of our students go to the school director and say it's wrong to forbid it, that children have the right to speak Russian. What? Dear parents, especially our classmates' parents, you can hate me, but no! The fourth year of war and 'what's the difference'? A huge one! People are dying!' Anna Salivanchuk
Covert School at a Monastery
Separately, a covert school was discovered operating at the 'Holosiivska Pustyn' monastery in Kyiv, which is affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate's church in Ukraine. Instruction at this school reportedly used Soviet-era textbooks, showed Russian films, and taught Russian songs. This language issue is deeply sensitive in Ukraine, where Russian was dominant for centuries but its use has become highly politicized since Russia's 2014 invasion of Crimea and the full-scale war that began in 2022.
Following the scandal surrounding this monastery school, draft law No. 14361 was registered in Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada. The proposed legislation seeks to ban the language of the aggressor state in private educational institutions. The bill was initiated after public discussion of the situation at the Holy Intercession Holosiivskyi Monastery (UOC-MP) in Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district.
The situation described by Anna Salivanchuk highlights the complex challenges of language and identity in Ukraine amidst the ongoing war with Russia. The persistence of Russian among children points to enduring cultural and social influences that require attention from educational institutions and society. Legislative initiatives like the proposed ban reflect a broader national effort to reinforce Ukrainian identity and security in the current context.
The ongoing debate about language use in schools has intensified, especially following recent incidents like the one involving the findings of the Language Ombudsman, who reported no violations at a monastery-affiliated school. These developments highlight the growing tensions surrounding language policies in educational institutions during the ongoing conflict, raising questions about the role of parents and educators in upholding national identity.