For centuries, the Ukrainian language and culture have been systematically suppressed and banned—first by the Russian Empire and later by the Soviet Union. More than 130 official decrees were issued by Moscow’s rulers over the past four centuries with the explicit goal of eradicating the Ukrainian language.

Why Does Russia Fear the Ukrainian Language so much? Language and culture are the foundation of Ukrainian national identity. They directly challenge the Russian-imposed myths of a "unified people" and an "indivisible Russia." The Russian Empire and the Soviet Union sought to create a single, assimilated space where all peoples would identify as "Russians" and speak exclusively Russian.

Between the 17th and 19th centuries, Ukrainian printing and education were severely repressed:
  • Book publishing in Ukrainian was banned.
  • Previously published books were confiscated and burned.
  • Libraries and archives were systematically destroyed.

Some of the worst instances of cultural destruction include:
  • 1718 – The archives of the Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery, containing 700-year-old manuscripts, were burned—likely by order of the Russian Tsar.
  • 1780 – The Kyiv-Mohyla Academy’s library, with 9,000 unique books, was deliberately destroyed.

Censorship was strict:
  • Ukrainian books were banned from being imported from abroad.
  • Anything promoting Ukrainian identity was removed from publications.
  • Church services in Ukrainian were prohibited.

The Russian Tsars also banned Ukrainian-language education. Schools were forced to enforce Russian pronunciation, and Empress Catherine II explicitly ordered her officials to russify Ukraine by removing Ukrainian-speaking teachers and government officials. Original Ukrainian historical chronicles were confiscated, and new, distorted versions were printed to deny the Ukrainian language’s legitimacy.

Two infamous decrees in the 19th century marked the peak of oppression:
  1. The Valuev Circular (1863) – Issued by Russian Minister Pyotr Valuev, this decree banned the publication of any books in Ukrainian with the justification that "the Ukrainian language never existed, does not exist, and cannot exist." (Ironically, Russian authorities were banning something they claimed did not exist.)
  2. The Ems Ukaz (1876) – Issued by Tsar Alexander II in the German town of Ems, this decree:
  • Completely banned Ukrainian-language printing—including song lyrics for sheet music.
  • Prohibited the import of Ukrainian books from abroad.
  • Banned Ukrainian-language theatre, concerts, and public performances.
  • Ordered Ukrainian teachers and professors to be replaced with Russians.


In the 20th century, Soviet authorities intensified efforts to eradicate the Ukrainian language—now with mass executions and systematic persecution.
  • After seizing Kyiv in 1918, Bolsheviks executed 5,000 people simply for speaking Ukrainian.
  • In the 1930s, Soviet authorities executed hundreds of Ukrainian writers and scholars.
  • All kobzars—folk musicians who preserved Ukraine’s epic traditions—were rounded up and killed.
  • Until 1988, all Ukrainian-language literature containing national themes, including references to Holodomor (the Soviet-made famine-genocide of Ukrainians), was banned.
  • Doctoral dissertations were not allowed to be written in Ukrainian.
  • Teachers of Russian were paid higher salaries than other educators to incentivize Russification.

Even today, Russia continues its efforts to erase the Ukrainian language. In occupied Ukrainian territories, Russian forces:
  • Destroy Ukrainian books.
  • Ban Ukrainian-language education.
  • Replace Ukrainian textbooks with Russian ones.
  • Import Russian teachers to enforce Russification.

The destruction of the Ukrainian language remains a key imperial strategy used by Russia to assimilate populations and maintain control over occupied territories.