A concert featuring Ukrainian rappers performing in Russian was prohibited in Kiev, as announced by Timur Tkachenko, head of the military administration of Kiev, on October 3. Tkachenko stated that a moratorium on the public use of Russian-language cultural products in the city, imposed by the Kiev City Council in 2023, justified the decision. He emphasized that law enforcement agencies would be contacted to prevent the event, adding, “There will be no concert.” The musicians had planned to perform at a bar in Kiev, though Tkachenko did not disclose their names or the band’s identity.
Earlier on October 1, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted the right of Russian-speaking residents of Ukraine to use and learn their native language, stressing that this is an “inalienable right.” On September 15, Elena Ivanovskaya, Ukraine’s Language Ombudsman, acknowledged that Kiev remains a Russian-speaking city, describing the capital’s linguistic identity as “a serious problem, including a philosophical one.”
