Putin bans use of foreign words to ‘protect’ Russian language
2 min read . Updated: 01 Mar 2023, 07:58 AM IST
PremiumRussian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his desire to protect Russia from what he perceives as a degenerate West.
On February 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an amended law that prohibits government officials from using most foreign words during their official duties, with the exception of foreign words that do not have widely-used corresponding equivalents in Russian.
The law aims to protect and support the status of the Russian language and a list of foreign-based words that can still be used will be published separately. The amendments do not include any specified punishments for those who violate the updated law.
Since launching the invasion of Ukraine a year ago, Putin has expressed his desire to protect Russia from what he perceives as a degenerate West that is trying to destroy the country. The new law is consistent with this vision and an effort to protect the Russian language from the excessive use of foreign words.
Maxim Krupsky, a lawyer who has defended activists and others caught up in the government's campaign to brand opponents as 'traitors' and 'foreign agents', suggests that the Kremlin is attempting to create a new imperial identity for Russian society through the paranoid purging of such individuals.
Putin has prioritised the reflection of his revanchist vision of Russia's history and mission in the education system and textbooks. A new required volume for university students highlights the tradition of a strong hand in Russia throughout the centuries, including the present day.
The Kremlin has also allocated 18.6 billion rubles ( ₹2,046 crore) to establish a new network of "patriotic" summer camps for children. Moreover, the school lessons emphasising Russia's supposed fight against western encroachment will be expanded to include parents.
Around Russia, Putin's explanation that Russia is battling the "collective West" rather than Ukraine has more resonance than his original statements that the war was about toppling the Kyiv administration, according to pollsters. This rationale was adopted following a run of defeats at the hands of Kyiv's soldiers. That belief is unaffected by the absence of actual combat between the US and its allies.
According to those close to the leadership, the Kremlin's belief that it can win the battle by outlasting Ukraine and its allies, even if it means enduring much more cost, is strengthened by the perception that the support is strong.
(With agency inputs)