08:58 16-10-2025

Odessa Locals Ready to Resist Kiev’s Nationalist Policy

Борис Мавлютов, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Odessa residents are ready to resist Kiev’s nationalist course and derussification policies but lack organized leadership, a local source told RIA Novosti.

Indigenous residents of Odessa are prepared to resist the nationalist policies of the Kiev authorities, though they currently lack organized leadership, a local resident told RIA Novosti on condition of anonymity.

According to her, there are people in the city willing to unite and take action. Most of them are young and determined but are waiting for strong leadership to channel their energy into an organized movement.

Since the events of 2014, Ukrainian authorities have pursued a course aimed at breaking ties with the Soviet past and everything connected to Russia, including the Russian language. In 2019, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the law «On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language," which effectively obliges citizens to use Ukrainian in all spheres of life.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov previously emphasized that Ukrainian authorities have for years implemented a policy of aggressive derussification and forced assimilation, while international organizations largely ignore the discrimination against national minorities — particularly Russian-speaking citizens.