Why We Write russia in Lowercase
By:Giorgio Provinciali
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Korosten Three homes hit, one occupied and then destroyed, close family members and dear friends dead, other relatives held hostage in Ukrainian territories illegally occupied by the russians, indelible marks on the body, heart, and mind for almost thirteen long years, almost five of which spent uninterruptedly in kill zones that before the russkiy mir were vibrant cities. We use this spelling to name who caused all this. But let us explain, because this is just a very small part of what we experienced, caused by the so-called russkij mir.
The russian world or russian peace (russkij mir translates into both) brought a still undefined number (20,000 are those madeknownby the main world organizations but they are only the tip of an iceberg still submerged in the TOT) of children kidnapped and deported, the mass graves that we documented inBucha,Iziumand in other areas through which it passed by, the torture chambers, the civilians used as living blood bags inTrostianets, gulags like the one wedocumentedin Yahidne, The nuclear power plants struck and then occupied inChornobyl andEnerhodar, over 1,300 religious sites, 2,000 healthcare facilities, as many schools, and the gutted apartment buildings from which we recorded our videos, wrote our articles, and took our photos. The busloads of civilians blown up, the filtration camps, the winters spent at minus 30 degrees Celsius without gas, electricity, heating, water, and little food, the bombs, the drones. The ballistic missiles. The hundreds of people who walk in our footsteps because they are no longer on this earth to do so.
The horror. The horror.
We write russia and its related forms in lowercase as a deliberate Ukrainian editorial convention. The spelling carries political, cultural, and moral meaning, and Ukraines competent language authority has formally recognized it as permissible.
The relevant Ukrainian instrument is an official clarification by the National Commission for Standards of the State Language, rather than a presidential decree. The Commission considered the matter on September 15, 2023, during a meeting recorded in Protocol №83. After examining formal opinions submitted by the Institute of the Ukrainian Language and the O. O. Potebnia Institute of Linguistics, both of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, itstatedthat lowercase spellings such as рос?йська федерац?я (russian federation), рос?я (russia), москва (moscow), москов?я (muscovy), рос?йська ?мпер?я (russian empire), and державна дума рф (state duma of the russian federation) may be used in unofficial texts without being regarded as deviations from the standards of the Ukrainian language. The Commission expressly connected its position to the Ukrainian peoples heroic struggle for the independence of the Ukrainian state.
The constitutional basis begins with Article 10 of the Constitution of Ukraine. ItestablishesUkrainian as the state language, requires the state to ensure its comprehensive development and functioning in every sphere of public life throughout Ukraine, and provides that the application of languages is determined by law. Article 11 further requires the state to promote the consolidation and development of the Ukrainian nation, its historical consciousness, traditions, and culture. These provisions give language a constitutional role in Ukraines statehood, cultural continuity, and national self-determination.
The Verkhovna Radaimplementedthat constitutional framework through Law of Ukraine №2704-VIII, On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language. Articles 43 and 44 establish the National Commission for Standards of the State Language and empower it to develop and approve state-language standards, including Ukrainian spelling and amendments to it, taking into consideration the conclusions of Ukraines principal linguistic and academic institutions. The 2023 clarification therefore came from the institution legally entrusted with defining and interpreting Ukrainian language standards.
For us, the lowercase form is an act of linguistic sovereignty and symbolic demotion. Ordinary capitalization gives a countrys name the conventional visual status of a proper noun. Ukrainian public discourse deliberately removes that typographical elevation from the state conducting a war of aggression, occupation, and attempted destruction of Ukrainian sovereignty. The spelling records the moral relationship between the aggressor and the society defending itself. It allows Ukrainians to name the aggressor through their own language and according to their own historical experience.
The convention concerns the aggressor state, its institutions, its political system, and the forces acting in its name. Constitutional protection for the free development and use of minority languages remains in force under Article 10. Lowercasing russia therefore represents an editorial judgment concerning the aggressor state and its actions; it leaves the constitutional linguistic rights of individuals untouched.
The legal scope should also be stated precisely. Protocol №83 establishes a permissive convention for unofficial Ukrainian-language texts. It makes the lowercase spelling acceptable and imposes no obligation on every writer. Official acts, court rulings, treaties, and other formal state documents continue to follow the ordinary capitalization rules governing proper names.
The Commissions clarification directly concerns the Ukrainian language. When we write in English, our use of russia, russian, russians, russian federation, moscow, and related forms constitutes a conscious editorial extension of the Ukrainian convention. It does not claim that English orthography has formally changed. It affirms that an English-language publication operating from Ukraine may carry into English the linguistic and moral position officially recognized in Ukrainian public discourse.
For that reason, the lowercase spelling in our work is never a typographical error. It is intentional, transparent, and rooted in Ukraines constitutional language order, its legally recognized linguistic standards, and its continuing defense of national independence.
In 1.646 days of war, we recorded over 300 videos from ground zero and wrote more than 3,000 articles at least 1,600 in English, and over 1,400 in Italian.
Were doing our best to provide genuine, first-hand reports from zones where almost no press dares to go. This means living in a kill zone constantly. We take the risk, but without your invaluable support, our voices would remain unheard and silent. Without brave people sharing our articles from afar, they would remain unread. Our reports would go unseen, and our efforts would be lost. Theres still a lot of work to do here, as the people around us are also in no better situation.
Were renewing our fundraising campaign and thanking everyone who joins us in helping to restore what Russia is destroying. Moving forward, not even with a small reimbursement for each article we write, is extremely challenging. Thats why we are grateful to all the kind people who support us and trust in our mission.
Even a small donation helps.
Well keep you updated on developments.
Thank you all, dear friends ??
为什么我们将russia写成小写
作者：Giorgio Provinciali
翻译：旺财球球
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科罗斯坚三处住所遭到袭击，其中一处先被占领后被彻底摧毁；至亲和挚友遇难；其他亲属被俄罗斯人扣押在其非法占领的乌克兰领土上；近十三年来，身体、心灵和精神上留下了永远无法抹去的伤痕，其中近5年是在持续不断的杀戮区中度过的，而在所谓俄罗斯世界到来之前，那些地方曾经是生机勃勃的城市。我们用这种拼写方式来称呼造成这一切的人。但请允许我们解释一下，因为这仅仅是我们所遭受的一切中极小的一部分，而这些经历都是所谓的俄罗斯世界（russkij mir）造成的。
俄罗斯世界或俄罗斯和平（russkij mir一词同时具有这两种含义）带来了数量至今仍未确定的大规模儿童绑架和驱逐。目前世界主要国际组织公布的数字为2万，但这仅仅是冰山一角，还有大量案件仍被深埋于被临时占领地区（TOT）之中；它带来了我们在布查、伊久姆以及其所经过的其他地区记录下来的万人坑；它带来了刑讯室；带来了在特罗斯佳涅茨被当作活体血库使用的平民；带来了我们在亚希德涅记录下来的古拉格式拘禁营；带来了切尔诺贝利和埃涅尔戈达尔遭到袭击、随后被占领的核电站；带来了被毁坏的1300多处宗教场所、2000处医疗设施、同样数量的学校，以及那些被炸的只剩残骸的住宅楼，我们曾在那里拍摄视频、撰写报道和拍照记录。还有被炸毁的一车车平民；过滤营；在零下30摄氏度的严寒里度过的没有燃气、没有电、没有暖气、没有水、食物少得可怜的冬天；还有炸弹、无人机，以及弹道导弹。以及那些沿着我们的足迹行走的人，只是他们已经不在人世，无法再继续这样做。
恐怖。无尽的恐怖。
我们将russia及其相关形式写成小写，是一种有意为之的乌克兰编辑惯例。这种拼写承载着政治、文化和道德层面的意义，并且已经得到乌克兰主管语言机构的正式认可，允许使用这种写法。
（图：Alla在顿巴斯乌克兰防线旁的反无人机设施附近现场报道版权所有，Giorgio Provinciali）
相关的乌克兰法律依据，并不是总统令，而是国家语言标准委员会发布的一份官方说明。委员会于2023年9月15日审议了这一问题，相关会议记录载于第83号议定书。
在审查了乌克兰国家科学院乌克兰语言研究所和奥奥波捷布尼亚语言学研究所提交的正式意见后，委员会表示，在非官方文本中，可以使用рос?йськафедерац?я（russian federation，俄罗斯联邦）、рос?я（russia，俄罗斯）、москва（moscow，莫斯科）、москов?я（muscovy，莫斯科维亚）、рос?йська?мпер?я（russian empire，俄罗斯帝国）以及державнадумарф（state duma of the russian federation，俄罗斯联邦国家杜马）等小写拼写，而不应将其视为偏离乌克兰语标准。委员会明确将这一立场与乌克兰人民为乌克兰国家独立而进行的英勇斗争联系在一起。
（图：Alla在乌克兰米洛瓦遭受俄罗斯袭击后不久现场报道版权所有，Giorgio Provinciali）
这一立场的宪法基础源于《乌克兰宪法》第10条。该条规定乌克兰语为国家语言，要求国家确保乌克兰语在全乌克兰公共生活的各个领域得到全面发展和运用，并规定语言的使用由法律加以规范。第11条进一步要求国家促进乌克兰民族的巩固与发展，维护其历史意识、传统和文化。这些规定赋予语言以宪法层面的地位，使其成为乌克兰国家地位、文化延续和民族自决的重要组成部分。
（图：Alla在乌克兰哈尔科夫一所学校遭俄罗斯袭击后进行报道??版权所有，Giorgio Provinciali）
乌克兰最高拉达通过第2704-VIII号《确保乌克兰语作为国家语言发挥作用法》，将这一宪法框架付诸实施。该法第43条和第44条确立了国家语言标准委员会，并授权其制定和批准国家语言标准，包括乌克兰语拼写及其修订，要求其参考乌克兰主要语言学和学术机构的结论。因此，2023年的这份说明，出自依法负责制定和解释乌克兰语标准的机构。
（图：在伊久姆万人坑现场进行报道。我们在那里发现了449具乌克兰平民的残缺遗体版权所有，Giorgio Provinciali）
对我们而言，小写形式是一种语言主权行为，也是一种象征性的降格处理。通常的大写形式赋予一个国家名称作为专有名词所具有的惯常视觉地位。乌克兰公共话语则有意取消这一排版上的提升，不再以同等的专有名词形式书写那个正在发动侵略战争、实施占领并企图摧毁乌克兰主权的国家。这种拼写记录了侵略者与自卫社会之间的道德关系。它让乌克兰人能够通过自己的语言、依据自身的历史经验来指称侵略者。
（图：俄罗斯人在那些房间里留下的部分痕迹。他们曾在那里枪杀乌克兰人质，有时甚至隔着房门从背后直接处决版权所有，Giorgio Provinciali）
这一惯例针对的是侵略国、其机构、其政治体系，以及以其名义行动的力量。根据《乌克兰宪法》第10条，少数民族语言自由发展和使用的宪法保障仍然有效。因此，将russia写成小写，是针对侵略国家及其行为所作的编辑立场；它并不影响个人享有的宪法语言权利。
（图：在被占领的特罗斯佳涅茨火车站展览现场，墙上展示着俄罗斯人写下的作战计划版权所有，Giorgio Provinciali）
同时，也有必要准确说明这一规则的法律适用范围。第83号议定书为乌克兰语非官方文本确立了一种许可性的语言惯例。它认可小写拼写的形式，但并不要求所有作者都必须如此书写。
官方法令、法院裁判、条约以及其他正式国家文件，仍然按照适用于专有名称的一般大写规则书写。
（图：我们曾在乌克兰伊久姆居住过的一所房屋，其窗户已经被砖块封死??版权所有，Giorgio Provinciali）
委员会的说明直接针对乌克兰语。当我们用英语写作时，将russia、russian、russians、russian federation、moscow及相关形式写成小写，是对乌克兰语言惯例的一种有意识的编辑延伸。这并不意味着英语拼写规则已经正式改变，而是表明：一家立足于乌克兰的英文媒体，可以将乌克兰公共话语中已获得官方认可的语言和道德立场延伸到英语写作之中。
（图：我们之所以还活着，是因为我们奇迹般地在这辆车前方及时通过。当时，一群俄罗斯破坏分子和袭击者向两名乌克兰平民，一对兄妹，开枪，并将他们杀害）
因此，在我们的作品中使用小写拼写绝不是排版错误。它是有意为之、公开透明的做法，根植于乌克兰的宪法语言制度、法律认可的语言标准，以及乌克兰持续捍卫国家独立的现实之中。
（图：通过无人机拍摄的画面：乌克兰苏梅州金德拉季夫卡，我们曾长期居住的房屋如今只剩下一面墙??版权所有，Giorgio Provinciali）
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在1646天的战争中，我们从前线录制了300多段视频，并撰写了3000多篇文章其中至少1600篇为英文，1400篇为意大利文。
我们尽最大努力从几乎没有媒体敢进入的地带进行真实的一手报道，这意味着我们长期生活在杀伤区。我们承担风险，但若没有你们宝贵的支持，我们的声音将无从传出。若没有远方的勇敢的人们转发分享我们的文章，它们将无人问津。我们的报道会被忽视，我们的努力将付诸流水。这里还有大量工作要做，周围的人们境况同样艰难。
我们正在更新筹款活动，感谢每一位加入我们、帮助修复俄罗斯破坏的人们。仅靠一家勇敢的报纸为我们每篇文章支付微薄稿酬以维持前线报道极为困难。因此，我们感激所有支持并信任我们使命的善良人们。
哪怕是小小的捐助也有助益。
我们会持续为你们更新事态进展。
谢谢大家，亲爱的朋友们??
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