Language is a strong marker for social discrimination, often associated with stereotypes and prejudices against various social groups. However, less is known about the psychological role of language during ethnolinguistic conflicts. In such conflicts, the political rivalry is closely interwoven with language ideology. This paper considers two independent paths via which language might trigger social discrimination. The first one is linked to linguistic identity, where a person could favor those who speak like her. The second one is linked to political identity, where a person could favor those who use the language associated with the person’s political views. In the context of the conflict in Ukraine, this paper finds empirical support only for the political identity explanation and no support for the linguistic identity one.