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RUSSIA: The Language of Influence Weakens
By Kester Kenn Klomegah
MOSCOW, Sep 16 (IPS) - Nearly all of the former Soviet republics have adopted native languages that
were suppressed during the communist era at the expense of Russian. This is
affecting Russia's influence over the commonwealth of independent states.
For more than seven decades, the Russian language spanned all 15 Soviet
republics with a combined population that had grown to 270 million. Russia
is still looking for recognition of its language in these republics.
Russia's effort stems from the fact the authorities still view it as an
instrument by which they can exert control in the Soviet region, says
Aleksandr Lytvynenko from the Kiev-based Razumkov Centre, a non-
government think tank researching public policy.
"This relates especially to Ukraine and Belarus, whose population in Russia is
considered an integral part of the united Russian people," Lytvynenko told IPS
from Kiev. "The strengthening of the position of the Russian language and
culture in these states becomes more important, and also in the Baltic states
and central Asia." Russian is widely spoken in many parts of the former Soviet
republics, but is not officially recognised as state language.
Some analysts think that the Russian language cannot be used as an
instrument for exerting influence, even though it has a role to play.
"During the period of the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) it was
absolutely a necessity which, in my opinion, remains today," Bahodirkhon
Anvarhojayevich Eliboyev from the Independent Human Rights Defenders in
Fergana, Uzbekistan, told IPS. "Russian language was and remains the
language of inter-ethnic communication. However, during that period, there
was suppression of other language cultures, which has taken a heavy toll on
society."
He said the Baltics states Estonia, Latvia and Lituania have joined the
European Union (EU), and "for these republics there is no benefit in speaking
Russian; they need a language which Europeans speak."
Ara Sanjian from the Armenian Research Centre at the University of Michigan
says that in Armenia and in many of the republics there are now few Russian
language television programmes, and as a rule they are shown with subtitles
in native languages.
In the south Caucasus, Sanjian said, (where the number of Russians is small
compared, say, to Kazakhstan), use of the native language "is a by-product of
growing national consciousness and pride. Russia is definitely seen as using
economic pressure and energy resources to maintain its grip. I am certain it
will also use language if it believes it can be used as a tool to achieve the
same aim."
In July, Tajikistan President Emomali Rakhmon proposed banning the use of
Russian in public institutions and official documents. He said the move would
promote the development of Tajik, and bolster patriotism. The Baltic states
banned the use of Russian soon after the Soviet collapse.
Language has been a contentious issue in relations between Russia and
Ukraine, where some political groups have opposed the 'Russification' of the
country. Russian dominates in the east, the Crimea and the capital. Many in
the former Soviet republic never learnt Ukrainian.
Use of Russian has been restricted in many republics despite Russian
government efforts at preserving the language. Last year Russia earmarked
16 million dollars for promoting Russian and to support an estimated 30
million ethnic Russians living abroad, mostly in former Soviet states.
Russian is the official state language in Belarus, and has official or semi-
official status in some ex-Soviet republics such as Kazakhstan and
Kyrgyzstan, says Alexander Chepurin, head of relations with the Russian
diaspora at the Foreign Ministry.
Russian officials say 'de-Russification' policies and the forcible adoption of
native languages in education, media, judicial and administrative institutions
is creating cultural gaps in the former Soviet space.
Several international human rights organisations have called on the former
Soviet republics to make Russian a second official language, but most
governments have not changed their policies.
"No one disputes efforts by a state to reinforce the state language, but it is
also well known that such actions must not harm the language rights of
national minorities, especially when a country's population is nationally
heterogeneous," the Russian foreign affairs ministry says in an official
statement. (END/2009)
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