This study examines the language choices of Ukrainian citizens on social media before and during the Russian war in Ukraine. Using over 4 million geo-tagged tweets from over 62,000 users between January 2020 and October 2022, statistical models disentangle sample effects (user in- and outflux) from behavioral effects (changes in user behavior). A steady pre-war shift from Russian to Ukrainian language use is observed, drastically accelerating with the war's outbreak. The study attributes these shifts largely to behavioral changes, with over half of Russian-tweeting users switching to Ukrainian. This is interpreted as a conscious choice towards a more Ukrainian online identity.

Daniel Racek, Brittany I. Davidson, Paul W. Thurner, Xiao Xiang Zhu, Göran Kauermann