​”Language is ATACMS multiplied by F-16″ is the message of the campaign launched by a Ukrainian blogger and supported by several Ukrainian journalists and public figures, the goal of the campaign is to encourage Ukrainians abroad to speak Ukrainian, not Russian.

The message of the blogger Yaroslava Gres was published on the page of the Movement “For Language” (“For Language” – in the original).

HotNews.ro talked to the Kyiv journalist who supported this action – Marichika Palamarchuk, who specializes in the field of culture in the “Kyiv Post” publication.

The journalists’ answers in this interview were given in Ukrainian.

Why did you decide to support the call to Ukrainians to speak Ukrainian? And what does “Language is ATACMS multiplied by F-16” mean?

Marichka Palamarchuk: “Language is ATACMS multiplied by F-16” – this saying belongs to a well-known Ukrainian public figure, journalist Yaroslava Gres, who is also the coordinator of the platform of the President of Ukraine UNITED24.

She appeared on her Instagram page after a trip abroad, where she accidentally heard Ukrainian refugees speaking Russian in a park. This phrase, like the post itself, was shared by almost 10 thousand users. I also shared it on my page.

Language is the greatest treasure of every nation, the spiritual wealth of every nation and national identity. Language is a powerful weapon against the enemy, so it’s ATACMS multiplied by the F-16.

What is the current situation with the use of the Ukrainian language by Ukrainians abroad?

Personally, I have only been overseas during a full scale invasion once. I went to Poland to take my son to first grade for the first time.

I was pleasantly surprised that she went to a Ukrainian school, which was opened for the first time in a small town. Many Ukrainian children and their parents gathered at the ceremony. Everyone sang the national anthem of Ukraine, and I felt very proud. I did not hear anyone speak Russian, but if they did, I would be very ashamed.

Do all Ukrainians know the Ukrainian language?

It is important to clearly define who we are talking about here. Either ethnic Ukrainians or citizens of Ukraine. Ukraine is a multicultural country where representatives of different nations live. So if an ethnic Ukrainian does not know his native language, it is at least very strange.

Today, for many Ukrainians, Russian is the language of criminals, occupiers and rapists. And we, Ukrainians, will not soon forget all the war crimes of the Russian army.

In public space, all citizens of Ukraine should try to speak Ukrainian. In private life, we are all free to speak our native language, because Ukraine is a country of freedom.

We want everyone’s personal space to be respected, and the state should do it. Ukrainians, Russians, Romanians, Bulgarians, Poles, Hungarians and many other peoples live here – and they all enjoy the freedoms provided for by our laws and the Constitution.

How are Russian-speaking Ukrainians perceived? Has the situation worsened with the outbreak of a large-scale war in February 2022?

Before the war, massively 90% of my friends spoke Russian, now, on the contrary, almost everyone is trying to switch to Ukrainian. Ukrainian can be heard almost everywhere in Kyiv.

Street names, monuments and everything that even somehow resembled something Soviet or Russian were practically destroyed. The attitude towards Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine has not changed in general, but perhaps the cases of internal conflicts on this ground have increased, although I would not be able to say this without police statistics. For me, it is better to speak “Surzhik” (a dialect of the Ukrainian language – no) than the language of the enemy, and for me personally, the Russian language is the language of the enemy.

“I also spoke Russian, I learned it at school”

Was there a problem with the use of the Russian language in Ukraine until February 2022?

There was no problem. And it is a pity that we did not realize what trouble we were inviting to our land. I also spoke Russian. I learned it at school, but when I understood and read the real history of Ukraine, not the one we were taught, I realized that the Russian language was imposed on us for many years and I too fell under the yoke of Russification.

I started learning my native language in 2014 and completely switched to Ukrainian five years ago. I noticed that I am a Russian-speaker and a completely different Ukrainian-speaker, two completely different personalities.

My native language inspires and gives me strength, awakens something special in me.

What is the main phrase in Ukrainian that you would like to say to the world community and to Russia in particular?

Today, Ukrainians are a strong and free nation. Russia is becoming a marginal state in the entire civilized world. And if someone hasn’t realized it yet, after our victory, a new generation of children who sat in basements under bombs or lost their parents will grow up and show what “we are brothers of the Cossack family” means. Cossack race” – translation into Romanian). But that’s another story.

According to various estimates, from 1.3 million to 3 million Ukrainians are currently outside the country.

Earlier in an interview with HotNews.ro, Ukrainian foreign policy expert Ivan Us explained what role the Russian language plays in Moscow’s aggression against neighboring countries, how many Russian-speakers in Ukraine react to Moscow’s statements that it wants to “liberate them.” » and why he believes that the renaming of the Russian language at the international level can be questioned.