What did Ukraine's spelling ruling mean on 12 May 2021?

What did the news cycle hold on 12 May 2021, and what did it say about the region? Two reports from the preceding days, one about language and one about weapons, offer a snapshot.

On 11 May 2021, Ukraine's Appellate Administrative Court upheld the validity of the new edition of the Ukrainian orthography. The ruling kept the revised spelling rules in force, so the question of which version of the written language applied stayed settled for the moment.

A day earlier, on 10 May 2021, sources in Russia's defence industry reported that Russia would carry out three tests of the RS-28 Sarmat hypersonic intercontinental ballistic missile in the third quarter of 2021. The tests were to take place at the Kura Missile Test Range in Kamchatka Krai as part of flight design testing.

According to those sources, two of the tests would probe the missile's maximum capabilities: a specified range of 18,000 km and speeds of around Mach 20. Final deployment with Russia's armed forces was expected in 2022.

The two items were unrelated, but both were part of the news picture in the days leading up to 12 May 2021: a court affirming the rules of Ukraine's written language, and a report about Russian weapons testing planned for later that year.