Many writers and publishers have ditched Russian language in favour of Ukrainian in response to invasion
From The Guardian by Luke Harding in Kyiv: Volodymyr Rafeyenko is a distinguished Ukrainian novelist. Ten years ago he wrote and published entirely in Russian. Born in Russian-speaking Donetsk, in the east of the country, he won literary awards for his work, including the prestigious Russian prize, given in Moscow.
In July 2014, Rafeyenko was forced to flee his home city after the Kremlin staged a covert takeover. He recalled standing in Donetsk’s central boulevard – named after the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin – as soldiers rolled in. “I saw a military column arrive. I understood that with my beliefs it was time to leave,” Rafeyenko said.
Vladimir Putin said he annexed Crimea and much of the Donbas region to “save” its Russophone population. The claim infuriates Rafeyenko. “It was an out and out lie, aimed at a western audience. My conscience began to hurt. I was 46 years old and didn’t know Ukrainian. I decided to learn it to a level where I could speak and write it.”
Voice of Ukraine 
One response to “10/9/2023 – ‘Hearing Russian brings me pain’: how war has changed Ukrainian literature”
Very interesting article! I can understand learning to write in Ukrainian, but also the other author saying he could never write as well in Ukrainian as in Russian he grew up with. We English speakers are so isolated from such a dilemma.
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