{
  "id": 12655766,
  "title": "Russia’s war on Ukrainian books: a second strike burns tens of thousands of a Kyiv publisher’s rebuilt titles",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/russias-war-on-ukrainian-books-a-second-strike-burns-tens-of",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-07T15:12:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euromaidan Press",
    "slug": "euromaidan-press",
    "url": "https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/10/07/russias-war-on-ukrainian-books-a-second-strike-burns-tens-of-thousands-of-a-kyiv-publishers-rebuilt-titles/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On 7 October, a Russian missile strike targeted Kyiv, causing significant destruction in the Podil district and damaging a book warehouse belonging to Ukrainian publisher Knyholav. The attack resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of books, although no staff members were injured. This incident marked the second time since the beginning of Russia's invasion that Knyholav's stock was destroyed. Throughout the conflict, Russia has been targeting Ukrainian books, seizing them from libraries in occupied regions and burning them in boiler houses. Additionally, the nation has been launching missiles and drones at various stages of book production, including printing houses, publishers' warehouses, and bookshops. This assault has led to the destruction of millions of books.\n\nThe publisher is still determining the exact number of books lost in the recent strike, but it is clear that a substantial portion has been destroyed or irreparably damaged. Knyholav had recently moved its rebuilt stock to the current warehouse following a Russian attack on 19 July that destroyed their previous location outside Kyiv, along with approximately 250,000 books. Knyholav's director emphasized that these lost books represent not only a financial setback but also a severe blow to the Ukrainian identity, as the publication of Ukrainian literature plays a crucial role in maintaining the nation's cultural heritage.\n\nThe attack struck Kyiv's Podilskyi district, where a Russian missile caused a fire and the partial collapse of the floors in an office and warehouse building. The same assault resulted in casualties in Pryluky, Kyiv, Kremenchuk, and Oleksandriia. Since the onset of Russia's invasion, Russian attacks have led to the destruction of over 1.5 million books in July alone, as reported by Culture Minister Tetiana Berezhna. In August, Russia targeted the logistics center of publisher Ranok and the distribution center of the KnyhoLand bookshop chain in Kharkiv, destroying 8 million books, including 628,000 new school textbooks. Over the past three months, Russia has burned approximately 13 million Ukrainian books, accounting for nearly a third of the country's total print output in 2025.\n\nIn August, Russian missiles also struck Kyiv's largest book market. This ongoing campaign against Ukraine's book industry has been described by Russia's education minister as \"objective.\" A new textbook now teaches Ukrainian children that their occupied region has a historical connection to Russia. The nation has already destroyed more than a quarter of Ukraine's modern warehouse space as it escalates attacks on economic infrastructure.",
  "summary": "Knyholav lost new titles and reprints of books Russia had already burned in July.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}