Zelenskyy's Chief of Staff Budanov to Be Fined for Speaking Russian While on Duty
Kyiv — Ukraine's State Language Protection Commissioner, Olena Ivanovska, announced on November 7 that Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Presidential Office, has admitted violating the state language law and will pay the statutory fine. The breach occurred on November 2 in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, a suburb of Kyiv, where civilians clashed with National Guard personnel outside a provisional military jail; Budanov arrived with the National Guard commander and others to de-escalate the standoff and, while addressing civilians and law enforcement at the scene, spoke Russian.
Ivanovska said state oversight procedures were formally initiated after public reports that Budanov had used Russian during the November 2 incident, that he acknowledged the violation, and that he would pay the penalty on time. Under Ukrainian law, officials who violate state language requirements face fines of 3,400 to 6,800 hryvnias (about $75 to $150); a repeat violation within a year can raise the fine to 11,900 hryvnias. The exact amount has not been disclosed.
Budanov previously headed Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) and now leads the Presidential Office, making him one of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's closest aides. Ukrainian is the country's sole official state language under the constitution; the law does not prohibit Russian in private life, but requires officials to use Ukrainian while performing their duties. (Source: Office of the State Language Protection Commissioner of Ukraine)
Source: 乌克兰国家语言保护专员办公室
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：乌克兰总统办公室主任 Kyrylo Budanov（资料图）。图片来源：美国之音，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office (file photo). Voice of America, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
