The people of Ukraine are divided by politics, culture, and language. The Dnipro river, which cuts through the country, separates not only east from west, but also a region with a Russian-speaking majority from one with a Ukrainian-speaking majority. This has been the situation for centuries, although in the years after the fall of the Soviet Union the politics of language have become more heated. In the west, nationalism is strong, and Ukrainian tends to be seen as a part of the cultural history of the people. In the east, Russian has been considered the language of the educated, while Ukrainian is often still perceived as a language suitable for only villages.
After nearly a century of widely varying linguistic policies and customs, Ukrainian was declared the sole official language of Ukraine in 1991. Two decades later, language issues remain critical. Ukrainian had been perceived by many as substandard, and in some parts of Ukraine, negative stereotypes about Ukrainian and its speakers remain; conversely, positive ideology is increasing, connecting Ukrainian to patriotism and culture. In a highly bilingual society, communication is rarely at stake. Instead, the way an individual identifies himself affects his attitudes toward others. At the same time, the way that each language is treated, and the power inherently connected in that treatment, further complicates the way people perceive linguistic differences. Using the results of 101 surveys solicited in Ukraine in 2009, this paper examines existing attitudes of native Russian speakers toward Ukrainian and its speakers; linguistic ideology and its affect on attitudes; and beliefs about the importance of maintaining Russian in an increasingly Ukrainian-speaking country. Results are compared across geography, age, basis of self-identification, and ideological beliefs. Quantitative and qualitative data are used to fully illustrate the current linguistic situation. Findings include heightened positive attitudes toward Ukrainian for younger speakers and those who live in Kyiv, and a strong correlation between the way that people identify themselves and the attitudes they hold toward language. Additionally, those who believe in the current ideology aimed at Ukrainian have increasingly positive attitudes toward Ukrainian, and there is some evidence of increasing pressure to speak Ukrainian on the youngest generation, which may lead to a risk of language loss.