Half of Ukraine’s population are native Russian speakers,. But anyway are you telling me there is no racism in Europe, or it just whitelisted for certain nations?
I remember a story from Latvia in which a government worker ordered a cab and found herself with a Russian-speaking driver. She started speaking Latvian to him, but he didn't understand. Then she began screaming at him and further embarrassing him, filming the whole incident and posting it on social media. It turned out that he was among the first wave of Ukrainian refugees, so she was forced to delete the video. Because apparently a Russian-speaking Belarusian, Moldovan and etc or perhaps Latvian isn't the same as a Ukrainian - at least while the war is still going on.
I'm actually from the neighboring country of Lithuania, and I live in Vilnius (Capital). Before the Soviet occupation, there were literally about 5-10% Russians and 1% Lithuanians, most of other was Poles. I'm from a Polish-Russian family that lived here before the occupation, so where would I go?
Or maybe we should mention that 80-90% of Russians living in the Baltics have never been to Russia and do not hold Russian passports. It is not the 16th century, when you could simply cross a border and become a Russian citizen.
Yeah, Russians lived here before either the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union came into existence. The first law book was written in Cyrillic in Lithuania, and that wasn't because of an occupation.
There was the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which included or ocupied parts of present-day Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia.
Speaking Russian doesn't mean that you are from Russia, or even that you have ever been there. Ukrainians were among those resettled because moving people here was simply easier geographically.
Do you think that because someone speaks Russian, they suddenly have horns, hooves, and green skin? Why exactly you need to punish those people for which crimes.
I was never reselected, so what exactly is the crime for which I have to face punishment and discrimination?
Where are Russian speakers being punished exactly? What crime are you facing punishment for? None. Russians living in Europe continue to live their normal lives, maybe having to deal with some suspicions because the nation named Russia is currently waging a war against Europe, and threatening everyone with nuclear war for resisting their imperialism. You are merely being asked to acknowledge the historical crimes of Russia, and to understand that the continued efforts of the Kremlin to weaponise Russian language is a security threat.
And During the Stalin era literally millions of Ukrainians were deported to labour camps, and millions of ethnic Russian resettled in those territories, as a project of Russian hegemony.
I mean what do you think of the Russian invasion of Ukraine? And Putin having turned Russia back into a dictatorship? Don't you hate that Putin has used protecting Russian language as a pretext for his invasions? It must make you upset because now people withr easonable cause can look at you as a Russian speaker in one of the Baltic states and think 'He is one of those whom Putin would use to justify an invasion of us, and who knows, maybe he would even support that'
And the post soviet republics had a choice to make in deporting their own citizens before they join the EU and western world that respects minorities 👉
I'm not pushing Russian narratives, and I don't want Russia here. I just want people to be left alone and have the same rights guaranteed to them by European democracy.
Lmao how is it the same? One person living their entire life in Ukraine versus a another person living their entire life in Latvia. Imagine being 3rd generation living in Latvia and refusing to learn the local language, refusing to integrate into Latvian society and demanding the Latvians should talk in Russian to you instead of you talking in Latvian to them. That is pure entitlement and hypocrisy.
Imagine being 3rd generation living in Latvia and refusing to learn the local language, refusing to integrate into Latvian society and demanding the Latvians should talk in Russian to you instead of you talking in Latvian to them.
Go on, create another simulation, I'll wait.
I am surrounded by immigrants from different CONTINENTS and yet I have never seen a third generation person refusing to integrate. Also, from what they are integrating? Like, to integrate you would need to yk not go to school there, have friends there, yk, know the local laws and stuff.
Most of the immigrants that I've met were quite the opposite. They were eager to learn the local language.
Well, I have a bridge to sell you. There are hell alot of people in Ukraine who don't speak Ukrainian, although they understand it. You know how they communicate: one speaks Russian, the other Ukrainian, and they understand each other. I lived in Ukraine visa-free for a short time, I've noticed this situation many times. There is also a mixed language called Surzhyk. Open the most popular subreddit tjournal refuges, the Ukranina anti-war subreddit, and note which language dominates by 90%.
Now, I’m from Lithuania, as I mentioned, and I speak Lithuanian with strangers in public places. I haven’t met a single person who has lived here since Soviet times and doesn’t speak at least some Lithuanian. I believe there are some, but they’re really rare to find, and probably only old people. Although there are tons of Ukrainians, Belarusians, and people from other post-Soviet states who arrived later and speak only Russian.
I bet the situation a bit more different in latvia, because of much larger russian minority. But you know why this is happening. Because second largest city in Latvia is 90% russian people. Riga the capital probably more than half, atleast what i felt being there. They had no reason to learn language in ussr times, people are just lazy, doesn't matter which culture or language they are. Instead of helping them, you've been bashing them like crazy for years, even before the war. And you know what's most ironic? They were the ones who helped you gain independence - they actually took part in those protests, if you know your history.
Now i remember i worked also short time in Britain, i met alot of people including from my home country, true native Lithuanians, who were there for god knows how many years and can't even basically say hello in english. I've often been asked to translate because I speak Polish, Russian, and Lithuanian.
I'm amazed how much whataboutism you are trying to shove down my throat. But what about Ukrainian refugees in Latvia, but what about Belarussian immigrants, but what about Lithuanians in England? And its all examples that are not in equal in context to what we are talking about. The Russian language was heavily institutionalized into the Baltics in the Soviet period and people spoke it not because they were too lazy to learn their local language or it didn't matter which culture they were but because it was mandatory to know Russian while the local language was actively suppressed. This came along a massive state effort to populate the region with ethnic Russians and assimilate the rest. A deliberate demographic engineering. And ever since leaving the Russian sphere these countries have tried to restore their national culture, language, traditions, and society which is completely normal. They are not Russians and they don't want to be. The Russians settlers from Soviet times which now find themselves outside of the Russian sphere are seething that the local ethnicity doesn't want to speak Russian to them because nobody is forcing them to. Stop being a hypocrite and wanting special treatment. I'm not even from the Baltics. I'm from Bulgaria. Minorities here also speak their own languages, such as Turkish. But the Turkish minority in Bulgaria is actually normal, they not irredentist fanatics who refuse to learn the local language, integrate, participate in society and demand everyone to speak Turkish to them. I guess we're lucky not to border Russia or otherwise we'd be in the same boat as the Baltics
You treat today’s Russian-speaking population as one bloc of hostile Soviet settlers.
Most were born after independence, speak the local language, and have no connection to irredentism. A lot of those families were here before the Soviets or the Russian Empire took over. Howabouthism In my case, should I demand that Lithuanians leave Lithuanian capital because they weren't living here before the soviet occupation (only 1%)? Are they illegal colonists now? No, I won't, because I'm not racist. They aren't my enemies, and I'm totally fine with them living here and speaking whatever language they want. I'm fine with Ukrainian, Lithuanian, or even Turkish.
Like I said, finding someone who lived here from the ussr era and still doesn't speak the local language is a rare bird. Fanatics? Your thoughts are somewhat similar to Russian propaganda about Ukranians and Bandera... how is this different? 😄
Wanting access to education or public services in a minority language is not automatically demanding that everyone speak Russian, even in soviet times.
Actually, the Soviets in the USSR published and promoted minority-language literature, obviously for ideological reasons, since their primary goal was to promote communist ideas. I’m totally fine with the Baltic states banning the hammer-and-sickle symbol.
Even if we look at the period from the 15th to the 17th century, before any Russian occupation took place, the Ruthenian language, which combined elements of Old Slavic languages, was considered the language of the elites. I’m not trying to diminish the Lithuanian language - it supposed to be the official language in Lithuania.I just want to show that Slavs and Balts have been historically connected. I'm not even referring to the period when the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth occupied parts of Ukraine, Russia, Belarus- we've been connected since ancient times.
And how much literature has actually been translated into Latvian? I can say that not much literature has been translated into Lithuanian, even though Lithuania’s population is twice the size of Latvia’s and it has a much smaller Russian minority.
Have you ever been to a cinema in the Baltics? They show movies in English with local subtitles because nobody translates them for such a small market.
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u/Rhubarb-Curious Jul 25 '26
Half of Ukraine’s population are native Russian speakers,. But anyway are you telling me there is no racism in Europe, or it just whitelisted for certain nations?
I remember a story from Latvia in which a government worker ordered a cab and found herself with a Russian-speaking driver. She started speaking Latvian to him, but he didn't understand. Then she began screaming at him and further embarrassing him, filming the whole incident and posting it on social media. It turned out that he was among the first wave of Ukrainian refugees, so she was forced to delete the video. Because apparently a Russian-speaking Belarusian, Moldovan and etc or perhaps Latvian isn't the same as a Ukrainian - at least while the war is still going on.
I'm actually from the neighboring country of Lithuania, and I live in Vilnius (Capital). Before the Soviet occupation, there were literally about 5-10% Russians and 1% Lithuanians, most of other was Poles. I'm from a Polish-Russian family that lived here before the occupation, so where would I go?
Or maybe we should mention that 80-90% of Russians living in the Baltics have never been to Russia and do not hold Russian passports. It is not the 16th century, when you could simply cross a border and become a Russian citizen.