- October 12, 2025
- 11:21 am
- Ukraine
Ukraine is preparing to update the official list of regional and minority languages protected by the European Charter. In the new version of the document, Russian and Moldovan will be excluded, and the term “Jewish language” will be replaced with “Hebrew.”
Previously, it was – “The law states that the provisions of the Charter apply to the languages of the following national minorities of Ukraine: Belarusian, Bulgarian, Gagauz, Greek, Jewish, Crimean Tatar, Moldovan, German, Polish, Russian, Romanian, Slovak, and Hungarian.”
Additionally, Czech language will be added to the list, reflecting cultural shifts in recent years.
The bill is already under consideration
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the corresponding bill and sent it to the Verkhovna Rada.
The document was reported by the government’s permanent representative in parliament, Taras Melnychuk on October 10, 2025, in his Telegram channel.
This is not just a symbolic step.
It is a legal update related to bringing Ukrainian legislation in line with the new official translation of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs back in January 2024.
What is the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages is an international treaty of the Council of Europe, signed on November 5, 1992, in Strasbourg and entered into force on March 1, 1998. The document is registered with the UN Secretariat under number 148 (ETS No. 148) and remains one of the main instruments of cultural policy in Europe.
The main goal of the Charter is to preserve linguistic diversity and support the languages of small peoples and national communities that are at risk of disappearing under the pressure of dominant cultures. It guarantees the right to education, media, culture, and administrative use of the native language but does not interfere with issues of the state language or political structure of countries.
The Charter sets standards for the countries — members of the Council of Europe: protection of education, access to information, development of local media, creation of theaters, newspapers, and programs in regional languages.
It is a tool that helps preserve Europe’s living linguistic heritage — from Basque and Catalan to Gaelic and Crimean Tatar.
The official text of the Charter is available on the Council of Europe’s website:
https://www.coe.int/en/web/european-charter-regional-or-minority-languages
What exactly will change
The project provides for amendments to several key laws:
— “On the Ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages”
— “On National Minorities (Communities) of Ukraine”
— “On Media”.
These documents will be synchronized with the updated text of the Charter to eliminate ambiguous interpretations and strengthen the protection of language rights in the modern interpretation.
New list of languages
After the update, a special support regime will be maintained for:
Belarusian, Bulgarian, Gagauz, Crimean Tatar, Modern Greek, German, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, Hungarian, Czech, and Hebrew.
Thus, Russian and Moldovan languages will be excluded, and “Jewish language” in official documents will be replaced by Hebrew — the living language of modern Jewish culture, religion, and education.
Why Hebrew
This step is not just a formality.
It reflects the changing cultural map of Ukraine, where more attention is paid to connections with Israel, Jewish communities, and international norms.
Replacing “Jewish language” with Hebrew makes the Ukrainian legal system more precise and modern:
in international practice, the term “Jewish language” is considered outdated, and the Charter requires the use of current linguistic designations.
Moreover, in Ukrainian universities and Jewish educational centers, it is Hebrew that is taught as a language of culture and faith, not as an ethnic designation.
Exclusion of Russian and Moldovan
The exclusion of the Russian language from the list is due to the fact that its spread in Ukraine does not require additional protection — on the contrary, it has dominated the media and administrative sphere for decades.
Now, after the start of Russia’s full-scale aggression, Ukrainian legislation is adjusting the balance in favor of languages that are truly vulnerable and in need of support.
As for Moldovan, it is essentially identical to Romanian and does not require a separate status. In international standards, “Moldovan” as a separate language is not used: ISO 639-1/639-2 codes mo/mol were abolished in November 2008 (announced on January 6, 2009), the designation ro/ron/rum for Romanian is applied. In Moldova, this is legally established: on December 5, 2013, the Constitutional Court recognized “Romanian language” as the official name, and on March 16, 2023, the parliament approved the replacement of all mentions of “Moldovan” with “Romanian” in legislation.
What is behind these changes
According to representatives of the Cabinet, updating the list of languages is part of the European harmonization of legislation and a step towards clarifying the status of cultural communities.
“This is not a political gesture, but a matter of legal accuracy and international obligations,” noted one of the authors of the bill.
Nevertheless, in public perception, these changes will become a symbol of Ukraine’s new cultural self-determination — a country that is moving further away from the Soviet linguistic paradigm and strengthening its ties with Europe and Israel.
Ukraine as a polyglot democracy
The reform of language legislation shows that Ukraine seeks not to limit but rather to expand the concept of cultural diversity. Support for regional and minority languages emphasizes that the country is building a model of inclusive but sovereign democracy, where respect for identity does not negate the protection of national space.
Conclusion
The decision to replace the Jewish language with Hebrew and exclude Russian is not just a bureaucratic clarification.
It is a step reflecting a change in identity.
Ukraine is ceasing to be a hostage to old linguistic norms and is forming a new cultural architecture,
in which freedom of speech and respect for language are elements of one system.
