Baltin also pointed that national oppression during the war had increased and from it suffered especially Ukrainians. With declaration of the war, there were closed all Ukrainian language newspapers and other periodicals. During the "Great Retreat", the local pro-Ukrainian socialist-democrats managed to receive permission on publication of Ukrainophone newspaper "Slovo". It was the first newspaper in Ukrainian language after a year of hiatus. But soon the city administration fined the publisher of the newspaper, after which no other publisher wanted to print the newspaper.