"Russian-Speaking but Not Svoi": Language Ideologies of Ukrainian-Jewish Refugees.

This article examines how the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine has reshaped language ideologies among Russian-speaking Ukrainian Jews, particularly refugees in Berlin and Europe, leading to new expressions of Ukrainian-Jewish identity. While Russian historically served as a unifying language for Jews in Ukraine and the broader ex-Soviet space, the war has complicated its use, with many Ukrainian Jews distinguishing between "svoi" (one of our own) and others within the Russian-speaking population based on political allegiance and cultural identification. Ethnographic research reveals that these communities increasingly employ Ukrainian language and cultural markers—sometimes alongside Russian—to assert belonging to Ukraine and to navigate tensions arising from the association of Russian with the aggressor state. The study highlights ongoing linguistic entanglements, showing that while Russian remains a primary language for intimate communication, Ukrainian is gaining symbolic importance in the construction of Ukrainian-Jewish identity amid conflict and displacement.