On 4 April 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine took an important step toward preserving the linguistic identity of the Crimean Tatar people. The Government approved the proposal submitted by the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience on using the new orthography of the Crimean Tatar language, previously endorsed by the National Commission on the Crimean Tatar Language.

The document is the result of extensive work carried out since 2023, in accordance with a government directive. The orthography is based on the alphabet approved in September 2021 and provides for the use of Latin script, aligning with both contemporary linguistic trends and the historical tradition of the Crimean Tatar language.

The development of the orthography involved leading linguists, scholars, and representatives of the Crimean Tatar people. The process included contributions from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the O.O. Potebnia Institute of Linguistics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, and other experts.

The approved rules cover spelling, education, use in media, literature, and toponymy. They are recommended for application by all state authorities, including local and military administrations — particularly in the temporarily occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

Six meetings were held prior to the document’s adoption. The final decision was made by the National Commission on the Crimean Tatar Language, which officially approved the orthography on 4 November 2024.

The development of the Crimean Tatar orthography is part of the implementation of the Crimean Tatar Language Development Strategy through 2032, coordinated by the National Commission on the Crimean Tatar Language. The Permanent Representative is a co-chair of the Commission.

This decision holds both symbolic and practical significance: it not only ensures the realization of the rights of Ukraine’s Indigenous people, but also supports intercultural dialogue in a multiethnic state.

The transition of the Crimean Tatar language to Latin script has been underway since Ukraine gained independence, and this process is now complete.