In Kharkiv, a taxi driver violated the language law: what will happen for refusing to communicate in Ukrainian.

Incident in Kharkiv due to taxi driver's refusal to provide services in Ukrainian

According to inkorr.com: Olena Ivanovska, who is responsible for the protection of the state language, commented on the incident in Kharkiv when a taxi driver refused to speak with a passenger in Ukrainian. She emphasized that the taxi driver violated the law, as, according to Article 36 of the law on the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language, services in transport must be provided in the state language.

“In addition to refusing to serve in Ukrainian and turning off Russian music, the taxi driver was aggressive, talking about 'oppression of the rights of Russian speakers',” Ivanovska noted.

She plans to conduct state control regarding this case and will contact the police and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Olena Ivanovska also urged taxi services to check drivers' knowledge of the state language and respond promptly to passengers' complaints. Violations of the language law can be reported through the electronic form on the website mova-ombudsman.gov.ua.

The representative of the authorized person for the protection of the state language is ready to take action against the taxi driver who violated language norms and calls on citizens to report cases of violations of language legislation.

This incident draws attention to the importance of adhering to language legislation in Ukraine and forming a culture of communication in Ukrainian. The situation also reflects the need for constant monitoring of the activities of taxi services, as language policy is an essential aspect of statehood and national identity of the country.