The words of the main character of the 13th season of the show "The Bachelor" touched upon both the historical legacy and the current status of the language in Ukrainian society.
Budko reminded that in the past, the use of the Ukrainian language was often seen as a sign of "provincialism." In larger cities, especially in Kyiv, those who spoke Ukrainian were sometimes disdainfully referred to as "peasants." However, he emphasized that the majority of the intelligentsia, who were previously repressed for their allegiance to their native language and ideas, hailed from Ukrainian villages.
He drew a parallel with the situation in Belarus, where the Russian language has nearly supplanted Belarusian in everyday use.
"Today, Belarusians have a self-proclaimed president [Alexander Lukashenko], and the country is essentially part of a federation [of the aggressor country] Russia," noted Teren, highlighting the connection between the loss of language and the threat to national independence.
Budko specifically asked not to criticize Ukrainian soldiers who continue to speak Russian.
"Everything has its time", he said, pointing out that even among Belarusians fighting for Ukraine, there are those who are simultaneously learning the Ukrainian language.
Teren expressed particular concern about parents who speak to their children in Russian, despite the ongoing war.
"It is horrifying to see how three-year-old children, born during a great war, are addressed in the language of the enemy", he wrote. Budko posed a challenging question: can we talk about victory if the new generation is being raised in an atmosphere of indifference – in the spirit of "what difference does it make," while the enemy is focused on raising a generation of warriors?
He stressed that the time for gentle Ukrainization has passed.
"It ended when we were forcibly Russified for centuries. It is time to clearly state: 'Ukraine exists only with the Ukrainian language,'" summarized Alexander Budko.