Russian instead of Ukrainian – Zelensky's chief of staff Budanov has to pay a fine

The head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Kyrylo Budanov, spoke Russian in an official capacity and therefore has to pay a fine. The Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, Olena Iwanowska, announced this on Facebook without mentioning Budanov's name.

The defendant has admitted the violation and will pay the fine on time, she wrote. For first-time violations, the Ukrainian language law provides for fines of between 3,400 and 8,500 hryvnia (up to 170 euros). Budanov did not comment.

However, Iwanowska mentioned the incident in which President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff switched to Russian. On Monday, several hundred people protested in front of a makeshift military prison in a suburb of Kiev. Their suspicion was that the National Guard was mistreating deserters arrested there. The incident attracted international attention. The Ukrainian justice system is investigating whether military personnel exceeded their authority. But she is also investigating the suspicion that the riot was deliberately fomented.

The ex-secret service general Budanov tried to calm the situation. A video shows him talking to an injured 14-year-old protester - partly in Ukrainian, partly in Russian. He answered the injured man's sister on the phone in Russian and also gave instructions in Russian.

The conversation situation was typical for Kiev, where many people switch between the two languages ​​in everyday life. Ukrainian is also the language of command in the military, but many soldiers still speak Russian to one another.

Because of his daring secret service operations, Budanov enjoys a reputation as a hero in Ukraine. However, he was accused on social media of speaking the language of the enemy Russia. The language law does not prohibit public officials from speaking Russian in private. In their official capacity, however, they must use the state language Ukrainian.