Occupants clean up the linguistic space in Crimea: Latin alphabet banned

The Russian occupation authorities in Crimea continue their policy of suppressing linguistic diversity by introducing new restrictions in public spaces. The head of the occupying “Crimea parliament,” Vladimir Konstantinov, said that about 500 advertising signs containing foreign words have already been replaced with Russian-language versions on the peninsula.

“We will definitely continue this ideologically important work and are ready to extend it to the federal level. Thus, as part of the Days of the Republic of Crimea in the Russian Federation Council, which are scheduled for spring 2026, we propose to discuss the possibility of implementing a project to develop the architectural and artistic style of the republic “Crimea — the territory of Cyrillic,” – he said.

Thus, the occupying authorities effectively equate any Latin inscriptions on signs with “enemy” ones. Entrepreneurs whose premises are found to have such inscriptions are sent official warnings and threatened with administrative sanctions.

The Crimean Tatar Resource Center emphasizes that such actions are part of a broader policy of pressure on the population of the occupied peninsula. The ban on the use of the Latin alphabet not only restricts freedom of entrepreneurial activity, but is also aimed at unifying the cultural and linguistic space in accordance with Russian standards.

This policy poses a particular threat to the Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine. The Crimean Tatar language, which historically uses the Latin alphabet, is under additional pressure. Thus, language restrictions are becoming a tool for assimilation and suppression of the national identity of the Crimean Tatars.