Ukraine Bans Use of Russian Language in Service Sector

In Ukraine, a norm of the law on ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language has come into force, stipulating that everyone in the service sector will speak exclusively in Ukrainian.

According to RIA Novosti, from now on, all service providers are required to serve customers solely in the state language and may only switch to another language at the personal request of the client.

"This means that Ukrainian consumers will finally have the right to be served in their state language in supermarkets or online shops, cafes or restaurants, banks or pharmacies, gas stations or train stations, gyms, or libraries," wrote Taras Kremin, the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, on Facebook.