Let's talk about the history of Russification in Ukraine. Here are some facts!
"I have heard and read a few people say that "many people in Ukraine speak Russian anyway".
Yes, they do.
Here is why.
1720 – Peter I's decree banning printing in the Ukrainian language and the seizure of Ukrainian church books.
1729 – Peter II ordered all government decrees and orders written in Ukrainian to be rewritten in Russian.
1763 – Catherine II banned teaching in Ukrainian at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
1764 – Catherine II ordered the Russification of Ukraine.
1769 – The Russian Orthodox Church order the confiscation of Ukrainian primers and church books.
1775 – The destruction of the Zaporozhian Sich and closing of Ukrainian schools at the offices of the Cossack regiment.
1804 – according to a special royal decree in the Russian empire, all Ukrainian-language schools were banned, which led to the complete degradation of the Ukrainian population.
1832 – Reorganization of education in Ukraine transformed all teaching into Russian language
1847 – Increased persecution of the Ukrainian language and culture, the prohibition of the best works of Taras Shevchenko, Panteleimon Kulish, Mykola Kostomarov among others.
1862 – Closing of Ukrainian Sunday schools for adults in the Russian part of Ukraine.
1863 – Valuev Circular – a secret decree that prohibited censors from giving permission to the publication of Ukrainian spiritual and popular educational literature. It referred to Ukrainian as "a separate Little Russian language [that] never existed, does not exist, and shall not exist, and their [Little Russians] tongue used by commoners is nothing but Russian corrupted by the influence of Poland".
1864 – Adoption of a Charter which stated primary school education was to be conducted only in Russian.
1870 – Minister of Education of Russia states that "the ultimate goal of education for all inorodtsy (non-Russians, literally "people of other descent"), is unarguably their Russification
1876 - Alexander II’s decree banning the printing and import from abroad of any Ukrainian literature, and to ban Ukrainian stage performances and Ukrainian lyrics in music scores and folk songs.
1881 – Prohibition of teaching in the public schools and conducting church sermons in Ukrainian.
1884 – The ban by Alexander III of Ukrainian theater in all the provinces of “Little Russia”.
1888 – A decree by Alexander III banned the use of the Ukrainian language in official institutions and of Ukrainian given names.
1892 – Prohibition to translate books from Russian into Ukrainian.
1895 – Prohibition by the Main Administration of Printing to
publish Ukrainian-language children's books.
1914, 1916 – Russification campaign in western Ukraine, the prohibition of the Ukrainian word, education, church.
Then, believe it or not, things did not get better under Stalin's rule.
Nearly 8 million Ukrainians were starved to death in the Holodomor genocide . That is a lot of Ukrainian speakers that could no longer pass on their language and culture.
This is by no means a complete history of the Russification of Ukraine. Russia has been destroying the Ukrainian language and culture for over 350 years.
So yes, a lot of Ukraine speaks Russian. But not by choice. And to all those who paranoidly claim this is a war between Russia & the US. NO! Russia has been undermining Ukraine and demeaning Ukrainians long before America was even a nation. Poland owned much of Ukraine for many years. They had Polish schools, etc, but still allowed Ukrainian to be taught in schools, universities, & to write & publish in Ukrainian! They did not commit cultural genocide, like the Russians have been trying to do for centuries.
@cv5 again! Twitter is not a source! Anyone can go on Twitter & post anything! There are small attempts to limit Russian disinformation, but largely, anyone can post unverified and utter nonsense. You have been totally brainwashed in your opinions. America is helping Ukraine, I agree. But to what end? The US is helping a sovereign nation, Ukraine, defend itself, according to their treaty with Ukraine. Canada has no treaty, yet we give billions to Ukraine in cash & weapons. Why? Because there are so many people of Ukrainian descent here, but also it is the right thing to do!
Russia wants Ukraine! It has rich soil with extensive farmland. It is a tempting situation and Putin & his goons are trying to commit cultural & linguistic genocide, destroying language & culture! Russia, whether under Tsars or Soviets or Dictators, have tried to assimilate Ukraine for centuries. Stop making this into a fake proxy war, when history verifies that Russian aggression is the real cause of this invasion! Ukraine is the victim -a sovereign nation under attack. I hope every nation continues to support Ukraine, until this invasion ends, and the Russian empire is pushed back to its traditional boundaries & Ukraine is free!
. We don't repeat Kremlin propaganda- 
