In what case is the largest fine “looming”?
Since the beginning of 2026, the Secretariat of the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language has received hundreds of complaints about violations of language legislation. The highest number of complaints has been recorded in the capital and frontline regions.
This was reported to RBC-Ukraine by the Office of the Language Ombudsman.
Read also: Fines for violating the language law are proposed to be increased: what might change
Main points:
- The highest number of language violations has been recorded in Kyiv (202 complaints).
- The anti-rating includes Mykolaiv (88), Kharkiv (75), and Dnipropetrovsk (50) regions.
- For the first violation, the law provides for a warning or a fine of up to 5,100 UAH.
- Repeated disregard for the norms within a year will cost the violator up to 11,900 UAH.
Where the most complaints are filed
From January 1 to March 18, 2026, the Office of the Language Ombudsman received hundreds of complaints. The highest number of appeals came from:
- Kyiv – 202;
- Mykolaiv region – 88;
- Kharkiv – 75;
- Dnipropetrovsk – 50.
Particular attention is drawn to the education sector – 28 complaints about violations in educational institutions have been recorded.
What penalties await violators
According to the Code of Administrative Offenses, the following sanctions are provided for non-compliance with the requirements of the Law on the Use of the State Language:
- First violation: a warning or a fine from 3,400 to 5,100 UAH.
- Repeated violation (within a year): a fine from 8,500 to 11,900 UAH.
The Commissioner reminds that every citizen can file a complaint if they are denied information or services in the state language.
“Every citizen has the right to file a complaint if official documents are drafted in violation of the standards of the state language, provided that the applicant has reasonable grounds to believe that this was done intentionally,” the Office of the Language Ombudsman states.
Read also about where complaints about violations of the language law were most frequently filed in 2025.
Earlier, we wrote about where to find the updated text of the Ukrainian spelling, which was recognized as the state standard this year.
