Culture Ministry to hold meeting with publishers affected by Russian shelling – Book Institute head
Ukraine’s Culture Ministry will hold a meeting on Aug 14 with all publishers affected by Russian shelling, Ukrainian Book Institute (UBI) head Oleksandra Koval said.
Ukraine’s Culture Ministry plans to convene on August 14 with all publishers impacted by Russian shelling, according to Oleksandra Koval, head of the Ukrainian Book Institute (UBI). Tomorrow, a substantial gathering of affected publishers is set to occur. Koval discussed their losses and future plans during a national telethon on Thursday.
The KnyhoLend distribution warehouse's destruction poses the most significant threat, as it affects numerous Ukrainian publishers. Koval emphasized the need to assess each publisher's losses. If losses are within 2-5% of total volume, they are recoverable; however, losses exceeding 10-30% could hinder publishers' recovery or prevent it altogether.
Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky had instructed the Culture Ministry and Finance Ministry on July 27 to devise a state support mechanism for the book publishing industry. Publishers, booksellers, and the industry association are relying on state support to offset losses from Russian shelling. They are also advocating for preferential lending and insurance for inventory against war risks, along with programs to boost book demand and replenish libraries.
Koval stated that approximately 150-200 million UAH should be allocated to restore a million books following a Russian strike that damaged publishing houses and printing facilities. Russian attacks on July 19 destroyed Knyholav publishing house's warehouse, resulting in the loss of 250,000 books. MISON publishing house was also destroyed, and Ark.Ua publishing house's Kyiv office suffered damage.
Additionally, Konvi group's printing facility was obliterated, with nearly 250,000 textbooks and 350,000 blank publishing product molds lost. A Russian strike on Kharkiv on August 1 damaged warehouses belonging to the Ranok publishing house, storing products for the KnyhoLend, Fabula-Knyhomania, READBERRY, Korali Books, and Ranok networks.
Textbooks reportedly burned in the ensuing fire. Another Russian strike on August 5 targeting the Denka Logistics center destroyed over 100,000 books belonging to the BookChef publishing house.
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