Krasnodar bans signs in foreign languages. The city’s mayor called them ‘unpatriotic.’

In Krasnodar, the city’s authorities banned the use of signs in foreign languages, according to the Krasnodar administration’s press service.

“This is a truly significant event for the city. The updated document allows us to ensure that the regional capital maintains a uniform style. […] The deputies have supported the ban on signs in foreign languages (including transliteration), with the exception of registered trademarks,” reported the city’s Mayor Yevgeny Naumov.

According to the document, a foreign language is considered to be any “language whose native speakers live outside the Russian Federation, [and] which does not belong to the languages of the peoples of the Russian Federation.”

The amendments will come into effect starting September 1, 2023. Business owners will then have one year to change any signs that are in a foreign language. Businesses which are located on the city’s main streets and within its historic center are required to do so before March 2024.

In February, Krasnodar’s mayor said that the city had many signs in foreign languages, and that given the current political situation, these signs “are not very patriotic,” declaring that “this issue be addressed,” according to the news outlet 93.ru.