Kyrylo, Kyryl and Kyryll. The list of young football players surprised the internet.

The football club 'Shakhtar' published the list of players called up to the Ukraine U15 youth national team. In the message accompanied by infographics, an unusual linguistic situation drew attention: three players with the same name Kyrylo were presented with three different spellings – Kyryl, Kyrylo, and Kyryll. Linguists consider this a significant problem and call on the state to intervene in an issue that has deepened in Ukraine for several decades. As a result, for example, the question will arise on how to record the patronymic of children born to parents who were named in a Russian manner as Nikitas, Kyrylls, or Artyoms. To avoid such difficulties, dictionaries of proper names should be used.

According to information from the football club 'Shakhtar', the list of players called up to the Ukraine U15 youth national team revealed an unusual linguistic situation: three players named Kyrylo were presented with three different spellings of the name – Kyryl, Kyrylo, and Kyryll. Linguists consider this a problem that is deepening in Ukraine and call on the state to intervene. This could lead to confusion when recording children who were named in a Russian manner, such as Nikitas, Kyrylls, or Artyoms. To avoid such difficulties, dictionaries of proper names need to be used.

In a comment to 'Glavcom', linguist Olga Vasilieva noted that in our country there is no legislatively established catalog of names that would restrict parents' choice of names. She also emphasized that the name Kyryll does not conform to the norms of the Ukrainian language. The only correct option is Kyrylo.

'In Ukrainian anthroponymy, Kristina is the same as Kyryl and Nikita. That is, the name is used incorrectly. But if it is written that way in the passport, then nothing can be done – you have to call it that. Moreover, bearers of this name may say that they were named after Christina Aguilera or Christina Ricci, and then the discussion loses its meaning,' noted Olga Vasilieva.

Olga Vasilieva also noted that previously there were dictionaries of proper names that were used when registering a child's name. However, parents have the right to write any name in the passport, regardless of the correctness of the spelling. She added that linguists can advise using dictionaries, but the decision remains with the parents.

Olga Vasilieva believes that Ukrainians should rely on the traditions and phonetics of their language rather than borrow Russian or other foreign variants. She emphasized the need for educational work and explaining to Ukrainians that names can be either Ukrainian or not. But, unfortunately, parents decide how to name their child, and legislation cannot interfere in this decision.

It is also worth noting that Ukrainian names differ from Russian ones in that they do not have the suffix -ik. For example, it is correct to say and write Tolik, Vitalik, Slavyk, Vladyk, Vadyk, Kostyk, Rostyk, Edyk, Danyk. This was recalled by the renowned linguist Olga Vasilieva.

In connection with the state of martial law, the issue of the state language is becoming increasingly important. Every Ukrainian word is a contribution to Ukraine's victory. The authorized representative for the protection of the state language, Taras Kremin, stated that this holiday is an important factor in the consolidation of Ukrainians, the preservation of cultural heritage, and the strengthening of national identity.