Budanov admitted the violation and will pay a fine for speaking Russian during clashes near Kyiv

Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov acknowledged the violation of language legislation during the events in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka; the fine stipulated by law will be paid within the prescribed timeframe. This was reported by Olena Ivanovska, the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, on her Facebook page, according to UNN.

Details 

The use of the Russian language by the head of the OP sparked considerable discussion and controversy online.

The language ombudswoman noted that, in this specific case, all the necessary legal procedures have already been initiated.

State oversight is ongoing in accordance with the established procedure. Communication with the person involved in the incident took place calmly, without unnecessary pathos and within the legal framework. The fact of the violation was acknowledged without attempts to find excuses or activate defensive reactions. The fine stipulated by law will be paid within the prescribed timeframe 

According to her, the rule-of-law state differs from chaos precisely in that a mistake is documented, acknowledged and corrected through legal means, rather than through lynching on social media.

Any one of us can make a mistake under stressful, everyday or extreme circumstances, but the maturity of society is measured by its ability to acknowledge this and accept responsibility 

We remind you

On November 2, 2026, clashes took place in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka near a building where servicemen of the National Guard of Ukraine ("Azov") were temporarily staying, due to false reports on social media about the alleged unlawful detention of 40 people. 

At the height of the events, Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov arrived at the scene. One of the videos recorded him speaking Russian, which caused considerable public reaction.