Ukraine's Language Divide: A City's Quest for Identity in a War Torn Land As Odesa prepares to vote on a contentious proposal to ban Russian language in public spaces, it's clear that this isn't just about language – it's about identity.
The city's 97% Russian speaking population will be forced to choose between their mother tongue and their allegiance to Ukraine.
Proponents of the ban argue that Russian is a tool of Russian influence, used to "deconstruct" Ukrainian identity and sway young people away from their homeland.