Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called on Russians on Wednesday not to overuse foreign words and said it demonstrates "a lack of self-confidence."
Putin discussed the issue during a meeting with representatives of the Russian Book Union.
He said he was "offended" by the practice of using foreign words in place of Russian ones to name things.
"When we rename a tekhnikum a college, this speaks about our lack of self-confidence," he added.
"We need time to realize that we are a great country, a great nation with a great culture, and we have a lot to be proud of," the prime minister said, adding "we have problems, but we solve them, sometimes probably better then our opponents."
