Occupation authorities in Crimea treat Latin-letter signs as 'hostile'

Russian occupation authorities in Crimea continue their policy of eliminating linguistic diversity by introducing new restrictions in public spaces. About 500 advertising signs containing foreign words have already been replaced with Russian-language versions on the peninsula.

The Crimean Tatar Resource Center stated this on its website, Ukrinform says.

"We will certainly continue this ideologically important work and are ready to extend it to the federal level. As part of the Days of the Republic of Crimea in the Federation Council of Russia, scheduled for spring 2026, we propose discussing the possibility of implementing a project to develop the architectural and artistic style of the republic, 'Crimea - Territory of Cyrillic'," the Center quoted the head of the occupation parliament of Crimea.

In this way, the occupation authorities effectively equate any Latin-letter inscriptions on signs with "hostile" content. Entrepreneurs whose premises display such inscriptions receive official warnings and are threatened with administrative sanctions.

The Crimean Tatar Resource Center emphasizes that these actions are part of a broader policy of pressure on the population of the temporarily occupied peninsula. The ban on the use of Latin script not only restricts freedom of business activity but is also aimed at unifying the cultural and linguistic space according to Russian standards.

Human rights defenders note that this policy poses a particular threat to Ukraine's indigenous peoples. The Crimean Tatar language, which historically uses the Latin script, is coming under additional pressure. Thus, language restrictions are becoming a tool of assimilation and the erosion of the national identity of the Crimean Tatars.

Earlier, Ukrinform reported that the Cabinet of Ministers approved the Crimean Tatar alphabet based on the Latin script.