Russian strikes destroy 13 million books, put Ukraine’s publishing industry at risk

In the past two months, Russian strikes have destroyed more than 13 million books in Ukraine, causing at least $39.3 million in damage and threatening the future of the country's publishing industry. The destruction, equivalent to about a third of Ukraine's annual print run, has impacted hundreds of thousands of school textbooks and resulted in at least 40 publishing houses and multiple bookstores being damaged.

The Aug 1 attack on Ranok's main warehouse in Kharkiv alone destroyed 8 million books, including 620,000 textbooks. The warehouse was an automated logistics hub capable of processing tens of thousands of books per day. Ukrainian Culture Minister Tetiana Berezhna claims the attacks are part of a deliberate campaign against Ukrainian culture, stating Russia understands that culture is what makes Ukrainians feel resilient and the owners of their land.

The damage to printing capacity is delaying textbook production, with one printer warning it could take four to five years to fully restore capacity. The government is preparing a financial support package, but industry representatives say more assistance is needed, particularly for smaller independent publishers.