Odesa mulls ban on Russian in public arts amid linguistic divide

Odesa city officials are weighing a plan to ban Russian-language content from public arts and spaces, extending Ukrainian-language rules to music, literature and public signage while urging but not forcing private venues to comply; if passed, Russian-language books would be removed from public libraries and Russian performances could be curtailed in public venues. The proposal has ignited a fierce debate in a city with a Russian-speaking majority, highlighting tensions between Ukrainian identity, language rights and Russia’s influence amid the war.