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"Pyatyi" reported on the start of work of language patrols in Ivano-Frankivsk
Activists communicate with residents, ask about their attitude towards the Russian language, distribute brochures and conduct Ukrainian language courses.
A “language patrol” has begun operating in Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine, Channel 5 Ukraine reported on Telegram.
The channel showed a story about two young girls patrolling and talking to local residents. Two older women talk to the activists in Ukrainian, and the third in Russian. The girls ask one woman what she thinks about "Russian." One of them noted that Russia has launched a military operation in Ukraine.
The mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk Ruslan Martsinkiv announced the creation of a language patrol in early September. He said that there are more Russian speakers in the city and believes that this is a big problem. According to the mayor, Ukraine should more strictly resolve the language issue in favor of the Ukrainian language.
The mayor later said that the plan would see language inspectors comment on people speaking Russian on the street, but not issue fines. If citizens reacted aggressively to comments addressed to investigators, the police would be called to the scene. The inspectorate would also be responsible for promoting Ukrainian language courses. They wanted to oblige cafe and store staff to monitor the language spoken and pass on information to a hotline.
Taras Kremen, head of the Department for the Protection of the National Language, called the plan "a big risk" and warned against its implementation. "There have never been and never will be language inspectors in Ukraine," he said.
According to Marcinkiv, more than 70 people volunteered to join the language patrol.
Later, Deputy Mayor Vitaliy Fedoriv said that the language patrol would not be created because there were no funds for it. However, Martsinkiv again said that the language patrol would begin on October 28.