Russian language in Kyrgyzstan: realities and prospects

Chekhlyaeva Sabina Saidumarovna Graduate student, Department of Theory and History of International Relations, Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University of Russia 117198, Russia, Moscow region, Moscow, Miklukho-Maklaya str., 6 sabinachekhlyaeva.saidova@gmail.com

Pavlov Andrey Sergeevich Postgraduate student, Department of Theory and History of International Relations, Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University of Russia 117198, Russia, Moscow region, Moscow, Miklukho-Maklaya str., 6 pavlov-as@rudn.ru

Introduction

After Kyrgyzstan gained independence in 1991, Russian retained the status of the state language, while Kyrgyz became the only official language of the republic. Despite the official status, the Russian language in Kyrgyzstan often acts on a par with the state Kyrgyz, including retaining its functions within the framework of the country's business development. Russian Russian can be easily spoken by about half of the population of the republic, while the other part of it speaks Russian to one degree or another.

Materials and methods

The study is devoted to the analysis of language policy in the CIS countries with a focus on the situation of the Russian language in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. The aim of the work is to identify the current status of the Russian language in Kyrgyzstan and its impact on the educational environment and cultural diversity. To achieve this goal, both general and special research methods were used, including statistical data analysis and the graphical method.

To achieve the objectives of the study, a mixed research approach was chosen, including both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Qualitative analysis includes the study of documents and legislative acts regulating language policy in Kyrgyzstan, and the analysis of opinions of experts and public figures. Quantitative analysis is based on statistical data and the use of graphical methods to visualize the results.

Statistical data provided by official structures of Kyrgyzstan, such as the National Statistical Committee, were used for quantitative analysis. These data include information on the distribution of the population by language composition, and the use of the Russian language in educational institutions. Analytical materials of representatives of the Pushkin State Institute of the Russian Language are also used.

Statistical data were processed using statistical methods, including analysis of the frequency of the phenomena studied, calculation of averages and coefficients. Graphical methods such as bar charts and tables were used to visualize the results. The graphical method made it possible to visualize changes in the language situation in Kyrgyzstan over a certain period of time.

The article uses a number of historical methods: the comparative method, the retrospective method, the method of historical periodization. Moreover, the study pages also present various graphs reflecting the dynamics of the decline in the Russian-speaking population of Kyrgyzstan.

The results of the study

Kyrgyzstan is one of the three republics of the former USSR where the Russian language retains its official status, albeit with certain legal restrictions. According to the Constitution of Kyrgyzstan^[1], citizens are guaranteed the right to create conditions for the preservation, study and development of their native language. However, the new constitutional law
“On the State Language of the Kyrgyz Republic"^[2] partially restricts these guarantees. So, for example, now the obligation to use the state language should not be interpreted as a denial or infringement of the right to use native languages. The new law also significantly expands the list of persons who are required to speak the Kyrgyz language fluently and apply it in the workplace. Kyrgyz is also becoming the main language on web platforms and computer programs,
at public events, in advertising, transportation and customer service.

The authors consider it necessary, in this regard, to consider the dynamics of changes in the number of Russian-speaking population in Kyrgyzstan, starting from
from the last years of the USSR's existence to the present day. Currently, the Russian-speaking population of Kyrgyzstan mainly lives in the Chui region and Bishkek. Bishkek has been a Russian city for most of its history: it was founded in 1878 on the territory of the Russian Empire, and the industrial heyday of the city occurred during the Soviet period.
Until recently, the Russian population of Bishkek prevailed over the Kyrgyz. So, in 1989, about 345.5 thousand Russian-speaking citizens (56% of the population of the entire city) lived in Bishkek^[3].

By the time of the collapse of the USSR, more than 920 thousand Russian speakers lived in the territory of the modern Kyrgyz Republic (22% of the population of the Kyrgyz SSR), but since then they have become almost three times less. This fact is not least related to the low birth rate among the Russian-speaking population of Kyrgyzstan, as well as the migration outflow of Russian speakers to Russia after the collapse of the USSR.^[4]

Figure 1. Dynamics of changes in the number of Russian-speaking population of Kyrgyzstan

Source: National composition of the population of Kyrgyzstan, the number of Russian-speaking population of the Republic// National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic
URL: http://www.stat.kg/ru/opendata/category/312 / (date of application: 07/31/2023)

Nevertheless, the Russian language continues to be widely used in the education system of Kyrgyzstan. Its role is especially great in preschool institutions, concentrated mainly in large cities, and higher education. The "Concept of Strengthening the unity of peoples and interethnic relations in the Kyrgyz Republic"^[5], dated 2013, provides data that 65% of all children enrolled in preschool education are taught in Russian, 33.3% in Kyrgyz and 1.8% in Uzbek. 73.1% of all students study Kyrgyz in secondary school, 17.9% study Russian, and 8.7% study Uzbek^[6]. Apart from Kyrgyzstan, the Russian language has the official status, assuming equal use with the state language in all spheres of public life, only in Kazakhstan. In Tajikistan, Russian is constitutionally the language of interethnic communication, in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan it has no status at all. Russian Russians left Kyrgyzstan after the collapse of the USSR, despite the massive departure of Russians from Kyrgyzstan, the republic still has the second largest Russian community (after Kazakhstan) – about 360 thousand people, or 6% of the population at the beginning of 2016.

According to the 2009 census, Kyrgyz is the most widely spoken language in the republic, which is spoken by 76% of the population of the republic (Fig. 1). Kyrgyz is the native language for 71% of the population and for almost all (99.86%) ethnic Kyrgyz. Of the residents of the Kyrgyz Republic of other nationalities (except Kyrgyz), only 2% consider Kyrgyz to be their native language. Of these, Kazakhs (26.4% of the total number of this ethnic group) and Turks (16%) most often called Kyrgyz their native language. The Uighurs are in the third position (4.1%).

Figure 2. The prevalence of language proficiency of the three most numerous ethnic groups of the Kyrgyz Republic according to the 2009 census.

Source: Statistical censuses (NPAs and publications) // National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic URL: http://www.stat.kg/ru/statisticheskie-perepisi / (accessed 08.08.2023).

Note: the proportion of people who indicated these languages as their native or second language in the total number
population, %

The language policy of Kyrgyzstan is revealed by a detailed analysis of changes in the content of the main regulatory legal acts and laws governing it. Chronologically, the first of them was the Law of the Kyrgyz SSR on the State Language^[7], adopted in 1989, which consolidated the functions of the Kyrgyz language as the state language along with the all-Union Russian language. The Law emphasized that during the Soviet period, “the use of the Kyrgyz language in all spheres of public and state life was limited”^[8]. In this regard, measures have been developed to protect and develop the Kyrgyz language with the help of legal institutions.

With the collapse of the USSR, a number of factors contributed to a change in the language situation and further actualized the question of the status of the Kyrgyz language in the newly formed republic. Among the factors, the following should be highlighted: the outflow of the Russian-speaking part of the population of the republic, as well as the internal migration of the Kyrgyz-speaking population from the southern regions of the country to the economic and political center of Kyrgyzstan, the capital, the city of Bishkek. In this time period, the Russian language, its support and popularization in the republic is sharply receding into the background, giving way to the development of the Kyrgyz language. A necessary condition for building statehood in this period began to be considered the legal provision of the so-called dominance of the titular ethnic group, which began with language policy. The active creation of a system of measures for the approval of the Kyrgyz language as the only one in which official office work would be conducted in the republic has begun.

Russian Russian Nevertheless, the unwillingness of the Kyrgyz authorities, along with the psychological rejection by the population of the expansion of the sphere of use of the Kyrgyz language, which is used to speaking and thinking in Russian, led to the fact that Russian actually dominated all the 1990s. Russian Russian In this regard, already in 1994, the President of Kyrgyzstan A.A. Akayev signed a decree on the recognition of the official status of the Russian language^[9] in enterprises and organizations where it was impossible to do without the Russian language, that is, where Russian-speaking specialists were indispensable.

Currently, there is a gradual trend towards the de-russification of Kyrgyzstan. So, on January 18, 2023, at a meeting of the Jogorku Kenesh (Parliament of Kyrgyzstan), the draft constitutional law “On the State Language of the Kyrgyz Republic" was adopted^[10] in the first reading. The draft Law is aimed at establishing the legal basis for the use of the State language, as well as the implementation of the State language policy. Moreover, Deputy K. Khanjeza stated^[11] the need to provide modern methods that facilitate easy and effective learning of the Kyrgyz language. It should be emphasized that according to the draft of the new Law, only the Kyrgyz language will be “spoken” by state authorities and local governments, representatives of the army. In addition, all inscriptions on road signs, announcements, posters, entrance tickets for cultural and sports events will be displayed exclusively in the state language (that is, in Kyrgyz without duplication into Russian). Also, the minimum volume of broadcasting in the state language for TV and radio organizations should be at least 65%. The new law "On the State Language" was eventually adopted on July 17, 2023 and entered into force the day after its adoption. It is worth noting that the law did not address the issue of changing the official status of the Russian language, just as it fixed the possible translation of the Kyrgyz script into the Latin alphabet (a number of Kyrgyz officials came up with a similar initiative). At the same time, according to the new law, the naming of joint and foreign organizations is now mandatory with transliteration into the Kyrgyz language. The document also contains a list of persons who should use the state language in their professional activities (mainly lawyers, military personnel, teachers and deputies).

This is not the first time that the "language topic" has been raised in Kyrgyzstan. This issue periodically appears on the current agenda, since a unique situation has developed in the republic: after the collapse of the USSR, the republic is the only one among fraternal countries that did not abandon the Russian language, but on the contrary gave it a special constitutional status.

The adoption of the new law on the state language caused a mixed reaction from the public. Some supporters of the law hope not only that the Kyrgyz language will now receive an additional impetus for development, but also that the document will significantly narrow the area of use of the Russian language. At the same time, some experts express concerns that the next step may be to lower the status of the Russian language from the official to the language of interethnic communication^[12].

Russian Russian is another fact confirming the gradual displacement of the Russian language from public life in Kyrgyzstan, a kind of neglect of it lies in the fact that in the republic there are documents with different content in the Kyrgyz and Russian versions, respectively.
For example, in the Russian-language version of the Election Code in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan dated 05/29/1999.^[13] there was no norm on the qualification of settlement, in turn, in the Kyrgyz version, it acted as a necessary requirement for candidates for deputies of parliament.

Moreover, Kyrgyzstan is currently continuing to discuss a draft law on the state language, which will have to raise the status of the Kyrgyz language. According to this draft law, all office work in the republic must be conducted in the state language, including in private companies. All politicians, officials and other employees of budgetary spheres will have to speak Kyrgyz. The draft constitutional law was presented in Parliament by the Deputy Chairman of the National Commission on the State Language and Language Policy under the President, Zhyldyz Orozobekova. She stated^[14] that this law is more important to Kyrgyz statehood than “thousands of others”, since “in the context of globalization, every nation strives to preserve its language and culture.” It is worth noting that practically no one from the Parliament opposed the bill. As a result, 75 deputies out of 88 voted for this initiative in the first reading, and only one opposed it. In turn, the Speaker of the Parliament N. Shakiev, speaking about the importance of adopting the bill, stated^[15] that “every citizen of Kyrgyzstan should know his native language. It's not a shame not to know another language, it's a shame not to know your native language.”

It is necessary to focus attention on the fact that the President of Kyrgyzstan, S.N. Zhaparov, systematically opposes any attempts of political manipulation in the issue of the Russian language in the republic. Zhaparov repeatedly emphasized^[16] the fact that the Russian language is enshrined as an official language in the Constitution of Kyrgyzstan. Moreover, according to ^[17] the leader of Kyrgyzstan, the brotherhood of the peoples of the two countries, historical and cultural community are considered as a key factor in the development of bilateral relations between Bishkek and Moscow.

Among other things, in November 2022, the speaker of the Kyrgyz Parliament, Nurlanbek Shakiyev, took the initiative to change Soviet names in Bishkek to Kyrgyz ones. Shakiyev stressed that the authorities need to pay special attention to the development of the state language of the republic. As a first step in such a development of the Kyrgyz language, he proposed changing the names of four districts of the capital (Leninsky, Oktyabrsky, Sverdlovsky and Pervomaisky). Local authorities began work on changing the names of the main districts of Bishkek in December 2022. As the director of the State Agency for Civil Service and Local Government Affairs Elchibek Zhantaev noted, “proposals are being prepared to rename all four districts of the city, and whether the new names will be Kyrgyz or not, it will become clear when it comes to public discussion.”It is worth noting that Moscow is concerned about possible discrimination of “all Russians" in Kyrgyzstan. Nevertheless, the President of Kyrgyzstan S. Zhaparov has repeatedly stressed that the Russian language is important for the republic exactly as well as Kyrgyz. In this regard, it is more likely that we are talking about the full development of the native language, but not to the detriment of Russian.

Russian Russian speakers in Kyrgyzstan, according to experts, the figure stated in the media of 80% of Kyrgyz citizens speaking Russian is overestimated, since the real level of Russian language proficiency is estimated at 50%^[18]. Russian Russian Language Institute Moreover, according to the analysis of experts from the Pushkin State Institute of the Russian Language, in 2020, the Kyrgyz Republic took second place in the post-Soviet space in terms of the "Stability Index" of the Russian language, which amounted to 6.67 points. This value is significantly less than that of the Republic of Belarus, which is leading with 14.29 points, but exceeds the result of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which took third place with 6.25 points (Table 1).

Table 1. Top 10 post-Soviet states in the Index of the position of the Russian language

Source: Index of the position of the Russian language in the world // Roscongress Information and Analytical System URL: https://roscongress.org/materials/indeks-polozheniya-russkogo-yazyka-v-mire / (date of request: 08.08.2023)

In total, according to the National Statistical Committee, at the beginning of the 2020/2021 academic year, about 2.3 thousand general education institutions were functioning in the Kyrgyz Republic, among which 72% provide education in only one of the four specified languages, including about 60% – only in Kyrgyz, slightly more than 11% – only in Russian, 1.1% – only in Uzbek, and in three institutions, education is provided only in Tajik (Table 2).

Table 2. Distribution of the number of full-time educational institutions by language of instruction (units)

Source: Distribution of the number of full-time educational organizations by language of instruction // National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic URL: http://www.stat.kg/ru/opendata/category/4602 / (accessed 08.08.2023)

Russian Russian is gradually disappearing from circulation in the regions of Kyrgyzstan, and the Soviet-era bilingualism (Russian, Kyrgyz) is being transformed into multilingualism (Kyrgyz, Turkish, English, Chinese). The Russian language is not a priority for residents of the regions of Kyrgyzstan (especially young people from the regions), which is confirmed by statistical data. Thus, in Bishkek, 68% of graduates choose to take the ORT (an analogue of the Russian Unified State Exam, the final exam based on the results of secondary general education) in Russian, while in the Osh region only 12%^[19]. The Kyrgyz-speaking segment grows annually, which is typical for both regions and the capital. Fully Russian-language education is implemented in only 10% of schools, mainly mixed education prevails. Despite the alarming trends, the demand for Russian-language education is stable and currently significantly exceeds the supply. So, in one of the Russian-speaking schools in the capital, designed for 1,300 students, 3,900 children study, and there are up to 40 schoolchildren in classes. In 2022, more than 68 thousand graduates graduated from Kyrgyz schools, while the quota for preferential education in Russia for the whole of Kyrgyzstan is 500 people, which does not even equal 1% of the total number of graduates^[20]. It was also noted that the academic Russian language poses a certain difficulty for Kyrgyz schoolchildren and students, which is primarily due to an acute shortage of teachers, and the measures taken today in this regard are insufficient (150 teachers from Russia will be sent to schools in Kyrgyzstan in 2023 as part of the project of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Education of the Kyrgyz Republic)^[21]. It is important to note the migration factor among the Kyrgyz population. The number of migrant workers from Kyrgyzstan is growing every year. According to last year's data alone, individuals sent $2.6 billion to Kyrgyzstan from Russia in January—November 2022 (only through money transfer systems)^[22].

Knowledge of the Russian language is necessary for the realization of work in Russia. This is exactly the opinion that is being formed, commenting on the initiative of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia to introduce the oral part of the Russian language exam for migrant workers.
Currently, migrants who come to Russia for the purpose of earning money take exams in the Russian language, history and Russian legislation in writing. However, such a testing format is not comprehensive. In this regard, it is planned to introduce a number of comprehensive changes to the procedure for conducting exams. Thus, the Russian language exam will be conducted orally with full video recording of the exam procedure. After all, it is the skills of oral command of the Russian language that allow migrants to adapt socially and culturally in Russia as quickly as possible.

Currently, relations between Russia and Kyrgyzstan are going through an extremely fruitful period in various fields. Special attention is paid to cooperation in the field of promoting Russian-language education in Kyrgyzstan. So, in September 2023, the leaders of the two countries
(V.V. Putin and S. Zhaparov) were given the task of building three secondary schools with the Russian language of instruction. Russian Russian President recalled that today in Kyrgyzstan there are already 251 schools with teaching in Russian, and in 416 schools the Russian language is studied along with the state Kyrgyz language. New Russian-language schools will be built not only in Bishkek itself, but also in other major cities of Kyrgyzstan: Batken and Karakol.

It is also worth considering cooperation between Moscow and Bishkek in the cultural and educational sphere. Both countries intend to develop cooperation in the field of culture and art, including within the framework of cooperation between universities and research institutes of both countries. Thus, on the basis of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University named after B.N. Yeltsin (KRSU), events dedicated to the common cultural and historical heritage of the two countries are regularly held. In June 2023, the international Pushkin Fest festival was held at the university, Victory Day is also celebrated annually on May 9, if possible, an action in memory of the fallen in the Great Patriotic War "Immortal Regiment" is held. Moreover, 2023 has been declared the year of the Russian language throughout the CIS countries. In addition, the university holds Olympiads in Russian language and literature, various cultural events (such as Pushkin Fest and others).

Active work is also being carried out through the ministries of the two countries. During the contacts between the Ministry of Education of Russia and the Ministry of Education of Kyrgyzstan, issues of Moscow's partnership with Kyrgyz schools where education is conducted in Russian are discussed, as well as the humanitarian project "Russian Teacher Abroad" is being implemented. More than two dozen teachers in Russian language and literature, mathematics and other specialties have already arrived in Kyrgyzstan from Russia, and this number continues to increase. Many universities in Kyrgyzstan also have various agreements on cooperation in the scientific field with Russian universities. For example, Ural Federal University cooperates with a number of scientific and educational organizations in Kyrgyzstan. A cooperation agreement has been signed between the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic. The aforementioned Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University named after B.N. Yeltsin (KRSU) occupies a special place in bilateral relations between Russia and Kyrgyzstan. It was founded in 1993 and in its activities is based on the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between Russia and Kyrgyzstan (dated 06/10/1992). The university is funded on a joint basis, education at this university is conducted in Russian. KRSU closely cooperates with many scientific research institutes in Russia: the Institute of Applied Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Physical Institute named after
P.N. Lebedev of the Russian Academy of Sciences and other scientific institutions. In addition, branches of Russian universities operate in Kyrgyzstan. Thus, a branch of the Russian State Social University (RSSU) operates in Osh.

As noted earlier, Moscow and Bishkek maintain very close cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere. So, in September 2023, the international festival “Kyrgyzstan – Russia: common cultural heritage” was held in the capital of Kyrgyzstan. According to the head of the Rossotrudnichestvo representative office in Kyrgyzstan, A.F. Zulkharneev, this festival is primarily dedicated to the common historical heritage of the two countries: “Heritage is not so much about our past, but about our future, this is what descendants should know.” Holding such events once again underlines the mutual focus of the two countries on the further development of cooperation in the field of culture, as well as Kyrgyzstan's commitment to preserving the memory of the common historical past with Russia.

In addition, Russia and Kyrgyzstan also actively cooperate in the sports field: joint sports events are regularly held. So, in September 2022, a friendly match between the Russian and Kyrgyz national football teams took place in Bishkek. Negotiations are currently underway to hold the return match, already on the territory of Russia.

Discussion of the research results

It is necessary to increase the prestige of philological Russian-language education through scholarships, grants, as well as increase the number of quotas for Kyrgyz citizens to receive education in Russian universities.

Russian Russian language A comprehensive analysis of the situation of the Russian language in Kyrgyzstan suggests that the republic is pursuing a purposeful policy of regulatory and administrative restrictions on the functioning of the Russian language, reducing the financing of Russian-language education by the state. Moreover, the Russian-speaking population of Kyrgyzstan is also steadily decreasing, although the Russian diaspora in Kyrgyzstan
It still remains one of the largest outside of Russia itself. Nevertheless, all of the above factors only contribute to a decrease in the quality of Russian language proficiency among the local population, as well as the loss of the value meaning of the language among the Russian-speaking population of Kyrgyzstan itself.

The argument for the need to protect the Russian language
In Kyrgyzstan, the world experience of the turn of the XX-XXI centuries can serve, which proved that the strategy of combining political
and cultural and linguistic boundaries, implemented by depriving the language rights of the non-titular population, inevitably leads to
to interethnic conflicts. Moreover, the image of the state, which implements such a policy in the language sphere, also suffers. In this regard, it is worth noting that Kyrgyzstan positions itself as a legal democratic state and uses all opportunities to ensure its positive image on the world stage and seeks friendly relations from the world community, therefore, the protection of the Russian language in the republic will only contribute to achieving the above-mentioned goal.

"The Russian language enriches Kyrgyzstan as a multinational country. And I think that today's million of our migrants who earn and work in Russia is a very big foundation for the Russian language to develop and preserve," said political scientist Bakyt Baketaev^[23].

The Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University named after B.N. Yeltsin (KRSU) occupies a special place in bilateral relations between Russia and Kyrgyzstan. It was founded in 1993 and in its activities is based on the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between Russia and Kyrgyzstan (dated 06/10/1992). The university is funded on a joint basis, education at this university is conducted in Russian. KRSU closely cooperates with many Russian research institutes: the Institute of Applied Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and other scientific institutions.

Also, do not forget about the activities of such a non-profit organization as the Russkiy Mir Foundation, which works in close cooperation with the Russian Foreign Ministry and Rossotrudnichestvo. Thanks to this Fund, three Russian centers were opened in Kyrgyzstan: at the Bishkek K. Karasaev University for the Humanities, at the branch of the Russian State University of Economics in Osh, as well as in the Chui Regional Library. Russian Russian language education, cultural and historical events are the main activities of these centers aimed at providing access to popular scientific and reference literature in Russian, teaching the Russian language, and holding cultural and historical events. Thus, the center at the branch of the RSSU in Osh organizes three-month Russian language courses with different levels of education, lectures on the history of Russia, the St. George Ribbon festival, and also holds literary evenings, photo exhibitions and round tables dedicated to the common historical and cultural past of Russia and Kyrgyzstan.

Conclusions and suggestions

This article has conducted a study of language policy in the CIS countries with an emphasis on the position of the Russian language in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. The results highlighted the importance of the Russian language as one of the important elements of the socio-cultural and educational environment of Kyrgyzstan. The analysis of data provided by official structures of Kyrgyzstan revealed that the Russian language continues to be an important tool for intercultural communication and education. The statistical data presented in the form of graphs and tables allowed for a better understanding and analysis of the current situation of the Russian language in the context of other language variants.

Thus, despite the fact that the status of the Russian language
Russian Russian is enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, the Russian language is endowed with the status of the state language, and there is a tendency to decrease the importance of the Russian language in the country. Taking into account the recent bill regulating the transition of state institutions of Kyrgyzstan to the Kyrgyz language, one can quote the deputy head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs S.S. Zhurova, who stated^[24] that the adoption of the above-mentioned bill could serve as “the first step towards the complete abandonment of the Russian language in Kyrgyzstan.”

It should be noted that language policy always remains a dynamic area, influenced by various socio-cultural and political factors. The Russian language in Kyrgyzstan continues to be an important resource for intercultural interaction and education, and its preservation and development require careful attention and support from both the state and public organizations and educational institutions. In conclusion, this study highlighted the relevance and importance of the Russian language in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan and supported the need to continue dialogue on language policy issues, taking into account the dynamic nature of language relations.

Directions for further research

Thus, the Russian language remains in demand in the field of education. Despite the fact that it is not compulsory, it is in demand in Kyrgyz schools. It is noteworthy that representatives of national minorities also prefer schools with the Russian language of instruction. In many ways, this is due to the quality of education in schools with the Russian language of instruction, as well as the possibility of employment in the future.

Today, learning and knowing the Russian language is important for the people of Kyrgyzstan. Russian Russian is the language of negotiations between the heads of state and ministries of the CIS, the CSTO, and the EAEU, as well as agreements and agreements signed in Russian. The border populations use Russian in communication, in trade, in visiting neighboring countries, and even in strengthening interethnic family ties.

As noted above, more than one million Kyrgyz citizens - more than 700 thousand migrant workers and more than 300 thousand who have received Russian citizenship, especially the younger generation. Due to their knowledge and proficiency in the Russian language, Kyrgyzstanis transfer funds to the development of the Kyrgyz economy.

Russian Russian language's negative trends in Kyrgyzstan will continue to prevail if effective support for the language and Russian culture within the country is not provided. And changes in the status of the Russian language in the republic may be associated with an attempt by part of the local elite to establish close ties with Western countries, as part of increased external pressure on Russia.

Nevertheless, as of today there are no visible prerequisites for changing the position of the Russian language in Kyrgyzstan. Thanks to the policy pursued by the leader of the republic S. Zhaparov, aimed at the multi-vector development of relations with Moscow, we can say that the position of the Russian language in the country remains strong, even though some political forces are trying to change this.