A new bill has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, proposing to radically strengthen control over the use of musical content in the service sector. The document aims to eliminate the possibility of playing songs in the language of the aggressor state in public places and commercial establishments.
Music as a tool of influence
The essence of the proposed changes lies in amending the Law "On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language." The authors of the initiative justify their actions by the need to counter the cultural and informational influence of Russia. The explanatory note to the document explicitly states that Russian popular music is viewed as one of the tools of propaganda.
In addition to the ideological aspect, legislators are emphasizing the economic component. According to the authors of the bill, the public playback of tracks by Russian artists through official distribution channels and labels leads to royalty payments. These funds, in turn, replenish the Russian Federation's budget and support Russian artists.
Strict requirements for establishments
The new norms propose clearly defining the rules for musical accompaniment in places where services are provided to consumers. Only the use of the Ukrainian language or languages other than the official language of the aggressor state is permitted. The ban will cover the performance and playback of any songs, musical works with lyrics, as well as phonograms, videograms, and clips in the Russian language.
Special attention is paid to closing legal loopholes. The current legislation contains a provision allowing service to be provided in a foreign language at the client's request. The authors of the new bill propose clarifying that this exception does not apply to musical accompaniment. Thus, even if a visitor requests a specific Russian-language song to be played, the establishment will not be able to do so.
Strengthening liability and control
To ensure compliance with the new rules, a separate liability mechanism is proposed. The authors of the document believe that current fines are too low and do not serve a deterrent function. As part of the initiative, penalties for violations are planned to be significantly tightened.
Furthermore, the procedure for recording violations is changing. The protocol can be drawn up by the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language or their representative. At the same time, the law provides for the possibility of drawing up a protocol without a prior warning or a requirement to eliminate the violation.
The path to adopting the law
At the moment, the document is at the stage of consideration in the relevant committee. To come into force, the bill must pass two readings in parliament and receive the President's signature. Experts note that this is just one of the steps within the framework of a large-scale language reform: recently, another document was registered in the Rada proposing changes to 22 laws at once to strengthen the status of the Ukrainian language.
Violation statistics show the relevance of the issue. In 2026, more than one hundred cases of violation of the language law in advertising were already recorded. The leaders in the number of violations were Kharkiv and Dnipro, where regulatory bodies identified the largest number of violations.
