Fenno-Ugria: Mordvin Languages Day 2026 Was Marked by State Ideology

The Estonian organization Fenno-Ugria has published a critical report on how the All-Russian Day of the Mordvin Languages was marked in Russia in 2026. The report focuses not only on events dedicated to the Erzya and Moksha languages, but also on the political context in which those events were framed.

The All-Russian Day of the Mordvin Languages is observed on 16 April. The date was originally associated with Erzya Language Day, established in 1993 by the Anatoly Ryabov Foundation for the Rescue of the Erzya Language. Ryabov was the first Erzya professor and one of the key figures in the development of the Erzya written tradition. The holiday was later renamed the All-Russian Day of the Mordvin Languages.

Fenno-Ugria draws attention to a fundamental problem with this name: there is no single “Mordvin language”. Erzya and Moksha are two distinct languages. Placing them under a shared administrative label may create the appearance of support, but it also obscures the proper names of the languages and peoples concerned.

In 2026, official events for the Day of the Mordvin Languages took place in the context of Russia’s declared Year of the Unity of the Peoples of Russia. In Saransk, the programme included ceremonial events, a round table on the development of the Erzya and Moksha languages, and the educational campaign “Dictation in the Moksha and Erzya Languages”. According to official reports, more than one hundred people took part in the dictation at Ogarev Mordovia State University.

Fenno-Ugria, however, emphasizes that the language agenda in 2026 was closely tied to state ideology. According to the organization, the dictation was based on quotations from Vladimir Putin, while one of the festive events concluded with a collection of so-called humanitarian aid for the “Mordovia” tank battalion, which is taking part in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

For the Erzya language, this is an important and troubling signal. A language needs more than commemorative events, official speeches, and symbolic campaigns. It requires real conditions for continued use: school and university education, books, media, digital tools, dictionaries, text corpora, audio recordings, and a place in public administration. At present, however, the Russian state largely shifts responsibility for language preservation onto the family.

It is especially important that the Erzya language should not disappear into the impersonal formula “Mordvin languages” or become part of a state ritual agenda. Erzya and Moksha are separate languages, each with its own history, writing tradition, literature, folklore, and contemporary speakers.

According to figures cited by Fenno-Ugria, the number of people in Russia who know Erzya and Moksha has fallen significantly: from 431,196 in 2010 to 280,046 in the 2021 census. This decline shows that official holidays and declarations are not enough. A language needs everyday use and a fully functioning infrastructure.

Valks will continue to monitor developments related to the Erzya language, education, linguistics, and language policy. We believe that support for a language begins not with slogans, but with concrete work: dictionaries, texts, learning materials, digital data, audio archives, and community participation.

Sources: Fenno-Ugria; official statements by the Ministry of Culture, National Policy and Archival Affairs of the Republic of Mordovia.