Marichka Padalko stopped going to the fitness club due to a language controversy
Well-known TV host Marichka Padalko has stopped using the services of the Kyiv-based fitness club “2BFit” due to its consistent use of Russian in customer service.
The journalist publicly protested against the disregard for language legislation in the service sector during a full-scale war.
The conflict surrounding the facility began back in the fall of 2024 during an attempt to sign up for a group workout. Padalko noted that the state language at this club was merely an “optional” feature, not the standard for communication.
“This story began back in the fall of 2024 with an attempt to sign up for a group workout. Even then, it was clear: Ukrainian here is an option, not the norm. I ‘swallowed’ the direct violations of the law back then. I patiently believed in a gentle Ukrainianization. To no avail,” the host shared on her social media.
The situation escalated after the wife of an Azov Regiment veteran, film producer Kateryna Gradnova-Savitska, complained about the facility’s language policy.
Instead of correcting the mistakes, the club’s administration decided to terminate the contract with the client and refund her money.
Later, the fitness club blocked Kateryna on all communication channels without offering any official apology.
Journalist Marichka Padalko openly supported the soldier’s wife, after which she received a request from management to remove the relevant posts.
“I put up with it until Kateryna, the wife of an Azov veteran, appeared. She refused to stay silent. That’s why they quickly offered to cancel her membership and refunded her money. When I publicly supported her, the club messaged me privately asking me to delete my stories,” the journalist said.
The TV host emphasized that she feels deeply uncomfortable with the use of the aggressor’s language as a “standard of service” in a country at war.
She also published screenshots of the correspondence confirming the sports center’s representatives’ position.
As a reminder, the language ombudsman received nearly 660 complaints over the quarter.
There is also a scandal in Kyiv at the Helen Doron language school over the use of Russian.
