Elena Ivanovskaya, Ukraine’s Commissioner for the Protection of the state language, has sent an official appeal to Google over its search results algorithm that displays Russian-language content when users request information in Ukrainian.
“We have already sent an official letter to Google’s headquarters regarding the correctness of search results algorithms,” she stated.
According to Ivanovskaya, the issue was raised by Ukrainian servicemen and veterans who noticed that the search engine shows Russian materials even when queries are entered in Ukrainian. She noted that the search results depend on the user’s geographical location.
The commissioner emphasized the need to expand the use of Ukrainian in digital environments, specifically calling for the creation of a “state electronic thesaurus” to include word forms and dialect variations. Such a database would improve the training of large language models used by artificial intelligence systems.
Ivanovskaya also expressed concern about the impact of the digital environment on young Ukrainians. She warned that without government support and additional investments in Ukrainian language resources online, Ukraine risks losing its position among youth.
In September, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s private use of Russian has been condemned as a breach of national language policies.
