Maria Burmaka on the Linguistic Reversal in Ukraine: Why People are Returning to Russian

According to glavcom.ua: National artist Maria Burmaka expressed her opinion about the language situation in Ukraine in an interview, highlighting the existence of problems. She noted that, despite the war and attempts to switch to the Ukrainian language, some people, including journalists and musicians, remain loyal to the Russian language and insist on the right to express themselves in Russian.

'I have often been the only Ukrainian-speaking person among musicians, and I have learned to be tolerant, but the realities have shown the opposite. It turned out that our 'gentle Ukrainization' is too gentle, while the Russian-speaking side remains aggressive and impudent,'

Maria also expressed her concern about the argumentation in favor of the Russian language, which, in her opinion, is based on incorrect premises. She emphasized that the Russian language is interpreted as a tool of Russia's influence, and this cannot be ignored.

In another instance, when two women ignored her request to speak Ukrainian, Maria felt frustrated by their reaction. She tried to be tolerant and explain the importance of the native language but did not receive appropriate understanding.

In her statements, Maria Burmaka highlighted the problem of preserving the Ukrainian language in the context of the current political situation in Ukraine, as well as the challenges faced by supporters of Ukrainian culture and language in the conditions of the active influence of the Russian-speaking environment.