Marketer, analyst, ex-CMO focused on the Google ecosystem (Ads, Merchant Center, GA4, GTM). Google Partner. 150+ projects, 100+ positive reviews on Freelancehunt, 12+ countries.
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Lately, businesses have started receiving official letters from the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection (Derzhprodspozhyvsluzhba) about violations of the Law of Ukraine On Advertising. One of my clients sent me such a letter, asking whether it was fake. Unfortunately, no: it’s a real request, based on a user complaint and backed by data from the Google Transparency Center.
Contents
Google Ads in a Non-State Language = a Fine. Breaking Down a Risky Case
What the problem is
Under Article 6 of the Law of Ukraine On Advertising, all advertising in Ukraine, regardless of platform (Google, Facebook, billboards, websites), must be in the state language. If an ad runs in Russian, English or any other non-state language, that’s a legal violation.
In my client’s case, the regulator requested information: examples of the ads, the period they ran, the ad formats and content, and an explanation of why the ads were not in the state language.
They don’t collect evidence by hand: everything is confirmed automatically through the Google Ads Transparency Center, which stores all of an advertiser’s ads.
Legal consequences
Advertising in a non-state language carries a fine of up to 300 tax-free minimum incomes, which today is 5,100 UAH ($113).
Practical takeaways for advertisers
Most requests I get to run ads in other languages usually come down to two aspects: legal and ethical.
The legal aspect. Using a non-state language in advertising is a direct breach of the law. Even if Google approves such ads, the business is the one held liable.
The ethical aspect. The language you communicate in is part of your brand positioning. For the Ukrainian market, advertising in the state language is by now a basic level of respect for the audience.
Is there any point in running ads in another language
Based on dozens of projects in different niches, I don’t see a consistent improvement in results from running ads in a non-state language:
- in Google Shopping there’s no correlation between the feed language (Ukrainian/Russian/English) and campaign performance;
- in Search campaigns you can safely use Ukrainian ads on queries in another language, provided the USP, the website and tracking are done well.
In other words, there’s almost nothing to gain from “outsmarting the system,” while the risk of a fine is very real.
What businesses should do now
- Review all active Google Ads campaigns.
- Make sure the ad texts and assets are in the state language.
- Redo banners, videos and ad headers if needed.
If you really want to communicate in other languages as well, work it out at the level of the website, separate language versions and legal risks, together with a lawyer.
This case shows that a precedent already exists. It’s no longer a theoretical risk but real practice. So the next time you ask to “run ads in another language because that’s what they said in the course,” think about the possible consequences first.
Where to find me
Message me on Telegram or by email — I respond quickly. Telegram channel and YouTube are for those who want to see real cases before reaching out and understand my approach.