In Ukraine, the number of people who believe that it is unnecessary to study Russian in schools is increasing – in 2023, there were 52% of them, and now — 58%. At the same time, the share of those who believe that Russian should be taught to children has decreased to 38%.
This is evidenced by the results of a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.
After the start of the full-scale war, KIIS asked this question in 2023. For comparison: in 2019, 81% of Ukrainians believed that Russian should be studied in schools (although opinions regarding the scope of study varied). Already in 2023, their share decreased to 42%. At the same time, the share of those who are against studying Russian in general increased from 8% to 52%.
As of February-March 2025, the number of opponents of teaching Russian to children in Ukraine continues to grow: now 58%. At the same time, the number of those who support studying this subject has decreased from 42% to 38%.
According to the survey, among these 38%, only 9% insist on learning Russian at the level of Ukrainian or at least at a higher level than other foreign languages (e.g., English). The remaining 29% believe that Russian should be taught in the same way as other foreign languages, or even at a lower level.
Among residents of the western regions, 25% believe that Russian should be studied (down from 32% in 2023), while 72% are against it (up from 65% in 2023). In the central regions, 36% believe that Russian should be taught to schoolchildren (down from 42% in 2023), while 61% are against it (down from 53% in 2023).
In southern Ukraine, the situation has not changed since 2023 — 51% believe that Russian is worth studying (mostly at the level of other foreign languages or at a lower level), and 44% believe that it is not worth studying at all.
In the eastern regions, compared to 2023, there have been more people who are against learning Russian — from 23% to 36%. At the same time, 57% support this idea (in 2023 it was 61%).
The most common argument Ukrainians give in favor of learning Russian is that it is a foreign language, therefore, it is worth knowing for development, international communication, etc. (38% of respondents give this explanation). Another reason is that this language is widespread in Ukraine or there are certain historical circumstances (32%). Another popular opinion is that it is worth knowing the language of the enemy (14%).
- The study was conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology between February 14 and March 4, 2025. The survey was conducted using the CATI method based on a random sample of mobile phone numbers. The sample consisted of1,029 adult respondents from the territories controlled by Ukraine. The theoretical sampling error did not exceed 4.1%.
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