Ukraine's Wartime Classrooms: Shifting Ideologies of Bilingualism.

The article investigates language ideologies and practices in a Ukrainian language classroom in Kherson, part of the grassroots Free Ukrainian Language Courses initiative aimed at teaching Ukrainian as a second language to adult L1 Russian speakers. Drawing on ethnographic data collected before and after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the study reveals that classroom discourse simultaneously enacts two bilingualism ideologies: separate bilingualism, which emphasizes distinct linguistic identities and language boundaries, and flexible bilingualism (translanguaging), which treats languages as fluid and overlapping to facilitate communication and language acquisition. The instructor balances these positions by encouraging Ukrainian use while accepting nonstandard forms, hybrid Ukrainian-Russian speech (Suržyk) as an intermediary stage, and the strategic use of Russian as a pedagogical resource. This approach contrasts with traditional monoglot Ukrainian language education by prioritizing communicative competence and inclusivity, especially amid wartime identity concerns, thus creating a "safe space" for learners transitioning from Russian to Ukrainian.