“Twists” will not help
A State Duma Deputy, Anton Gorelkin, stated that Google, the American search engine, may yield to Kyiv’s request to de-russify search results. Yet such a move would not remove the Russian language from Ukraine’s linguistic landscape. According to Gorelkin, Ukrainian officials pressure the company to participate in what he describes as information terrorism against Ukrainian citizens, urging de-Russify of search results and a ban on Russian-language content in YouTube recommendation algorithms.
Gorelkin suggested that while American policy trends might push Google to adjust outputs and recommendations in line with Kyiv’s demands, this would not translate into the elimination of the Russian language within Ukrainian borders. He expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of such measures in a Telegram post, outlining that Ukraine has long pursued language restrictions across state documents, media, and education. Despite these efforts, a sizable portion of Ukrainians continues to speak Russian and shows little inclination to switch to Surzhik.
Zelenskaya and Zakharova
Recently, Elena Zelenskaya, the wife of Ukraine’s president, met with representatives from Google. She requested that search results accessible from Ukrainian territory be de-russified and that Ukraine be visually separated from the CIS region in YouTube maps. Zelenskaya also expressed a desire for Crimea to be shown as Ukrainian territory within Google services.
She remarked that when Ukraine was viewed on the map, the expectation was to see the entire territory, including Crimea. The aim, she noted, was to restore recognition of Ukrainian achievements in the digital sphere and to support remote collaboration projects for Ukrainian students and teachers through Google.
Responding to Zelenskaya’s outreach, Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, questioned whether the request would extend to specific map representations such as Cartier stores in Ukraine, implying a broader debate about how Ukrainian sovereignty is reflected in global platforms.
Disputes with Google
On Google Maps, Crimea is shown as part of Russia for users within Russia, while it is treated as a disputed territory by European users. In recent years, there have been frequent calls to block Google within Russia, a proposition championed by State Duma deputies and senators. Notably, Evgeniy Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner PMC, had at one point asked the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to consider such a move last year. Despite these pressures, Google’s services remain accessible in Russia.
Roskomnadzor implemented sanctions against Google services in the spring, including bans on advertising related to Google and its information resources. The agency cited reasons tied to disseminating what it described as false information about the progress of a special military operation, which it claimed discredited the Russian Armed Forces.
Authorities also noted that YouTube did not sufficiently curb the spread of extremist content linked to groups such as the Ukrainian Right Sector, which is banned in Russia. The ongoing exchanges reflect a broader struggle over how multinational platforms represent geopolitical realities in their maps, recommendations, and country-specific interfaces.