// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Majority Russian-speaking city in Ukraine considers language ban in the arts
These young activists hold up signs saying the Russian language should remain in Russia
Ukraine's third-biggest city Odesa will decide this week whether to back a controversial plan to ban the Russian language in the arts.
The proposal being considered by councillors in Odesa on the Black Sea coast aims to add to existing restrictions on Russian imposed by national legislation.
It is particularly significant because Odesa is overwhelmingly Russian-speaking, although the ban would only affect public spaces and everyday usage of Russian would remain unaffected.
For millions of Ukrainians, Russian is their first language including many of the troops defending the country in its war with Russia. But Ukrainian is the only state language and spoken by the majority, and some see Russian as a tool of Russian influence.
The proposal in Odesa, which is targeted daily by Russian drone and missile strikes, calls for a complete halt to Russian-language content in music and literature, in streets, parks, public institutions and state-run arts and entertainment venues. It would also recommend a ban in privately owned spaces.
In a city famous for Russian-language writers and musicians, it has provoked strong passions.
The ban would extend in public spaces to old Odesa songs almost universally known throughout the former Soviet Union. All Russian-language books would be removed from display in public libraries. Currently, they can be shown, but not prominently.
Comic actor Borys Barsky (L) says only Vladimir Putin would benefit from Ukrainians banning the Russian language
"The Russian language is a weapon of Russia, and we need to try to fix that," says Odesa lawyer Artem Kartashov, who has advised local authorities on an official programme to "decolonise" the city of its historic Russian legacy.