What did Kyiv's English-language law and the ICC warrants signal?
A look back at two developments reported between 25 and 27 June 2024, one domestic and one international.
What did Ukraine's public life look like on 28 June 2024? Two developments from the preceding days framed it, one legal and domestic, the other judicial and international.
On 27 June 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law establishing English as an official language of international communication in Ukraine. The measure concerns communication with the outside world, and it was reported as a single legislative step.
Two days earlier, on 25 June 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in its investigation in Ukraine. They named Valery Gerasimov, Russia's Chief of the General Staff, and Sergei Shoigu, the former defence minister.
Two tracks
The two events were separate in nature. One was a decision by Ukraine's own authorities about how the country presents itself and communicates abroad. The other came from an international court and targeted senior figures of the Russian military establishment.
Taken together, they show Ukraine's engagement with the wider world running along two lines: the language of that engagement, set by law in Kyiv, and the pursuit of accountability through international judicial machinery.
