“The Night Turned Starless Yesterday”: Mansi Language Use and Ethnolinguistic Vitality During the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

The aim of this paper is to analyse and discuss the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine for the use and ethnolinguistic vitality of the Mansi language. Mansi is a severely endangered language spoken in Western Siberia. It has no official status; its use is partly supported and partly contested by the state. The direct and indirect consequences of the invasion have resulted in the declining use of the Mansi language and the strengthening of its position as a secret language, used for discussing sensitive or taboo subjects.