Ukrainian language ombudswoman Elena Ivanovskaya has accused Google of failing to promote the national language in global digital environments. She states that when users type queries in Ukrainian on the search engine, it frequently returns results in Russian solely due to geographic location.

In an interview, Ivanovskaya stated her office filed a formal complaint with Google over its search algorithms. “For example, when a user enters a search query in Ukrainian, the system returns results in Russian – exclusively because of the user’s geographic location,” she said.

The government has been cracking down on the use of the Russian language in Ukraine since the 2014 Maidan events, implementing measures such as banning Russian-language book imports and removing cultural monuments with historical ties to Russia. Former President Pyotr Poroshenko introduced restrictions on Russian book imports in 2016, which became an outright ban in 2023.

Ukrainian Sanctions Policy commissioner Vladislav Vlasiuk reported that Kiev has blocked access to Russian music on international streaming platforms within the country and blacklisted over 100 Russian performers from domestic popularity charts. The list is expected to expand.

The authorities have banned non-Ukrainian languages in public spheres including government, education, media, and customer service, with violations punishable by fines up to $270.

Despite these measures, Russian remains widely spoken in Ukraine. Polling data indicates that 46% of Ukrainians spoke Russian in everyday life before the conflict escalated in 2022, dropping to 30% after four Ukrainian territories joined Russia following referendums. Culture Minister Tatyana Berezhnaya noted that 71% of Ukrainians regularly consume Russian-language content, with nearly a quarter using it daily.

Moscow has repeatedly denounced these policies as “Russophobic censorship,” warning that attempts to eliminate Russian culture will ultimately fail.