Do they speak Russian or Ukrainian in Kiev?

Both Ukrainian and Russian are commonly spoken in the city; approximately 75\% of Kiev’s population responded “Ukrainian” to the 2001 census question on their native language, roughly 25\% responded “Russian”.

Can Ukrainians and Russians communicate?

People from the Ukrainian-speaking regions of Ukraine almost all speak Russian because of the same Soviet russification policy. As I already mentioned, Russians cannot freely communicate when they visit Ukrainian-speaking regions.

Where is Russian spoken in Ukraine?

Russian is the most common first language in the Donbas and Crimea regions of Ukraine, and the predominant language in large cities in the east and south of the country.

Will Ukrainians understand Russian?

While Ukrainian has been the sole official language of Ukraine since the country declared independence in 1991, Russian is still very widely used, to the extent that some describe Ukraine as a bilingual country, meaning that most Ukrainians speak and understand at least two languages: Russian and Ukrainian.

When was the Ukrainian language adopted as the official language of Ukraine?

The Ukrainian language was adopted as the state language by the Law on Languages adopted in Ukrainian SSR in 1989; Russian was specified as the language of communication with the other republics of Soviet Union. Ukraine signed the European Charter on Regional or Minority Languages in 1996,…

What percentage of Ukraine’s population speaks Russian?

Percentage of people with Russian as their native language according to 2001 census (in regions). According to official data from the 2001 Ukrainian census, the Russian language is native for 29.6\% of Ukraine’s population (about 14.3 million people).

What is the law in Ukraine on speaking Ukrainian in school?

The law also requires TV and radio broadcasters to ensure 60\% of programs such as news and analysis are in Ukrainian. In September 2017, Ukraine instituted a similar policy on languages in public education. The law required the school used Ukrainian, the national language, in all classes that did not require a second language.

What is the preferred language of work in Ukraine?

For the preferred language of work, an equal amount chose either Ukrainian or Russian (37\%) and 21\% communicated bilingually. The study polled 10,071 individuals and held a 1\% margin of error.