Ukrainian publishers call for support after Russian attacks destroy 10m books

Ukrainian publishers are urgently calling for international assistance following devastating Russian attacks that have destroyed an estimated 10 million books. The destruction, which occurred in July and early August, has severely impacted the country's book production infrastructure and threatens the financial stability of numerous publishing houses.

The Ukrainian Book Institute highlighted the severe consequences of these attacks, noting that significant portions of publishing, printing, and warehouse facilities were hit. A major strike on August 1 targeted warehouses of the RNK-Ranok publishing group in Kharkiv, obliterating around 8 million books. This followed earlier attacks in Kyiv in July that resulted in the loss of over 1.5 million books. Collectively, these assaults have annihilated approximately 30% of Ukraine's annual book output.

The institute expressed grave concern that the ongoing destruction could lead to the collapse of the entire Ukrainian book ecosystem. Publishers are facing not only the loss of inventory but also the crippling of their operational capacity, pushing some companies to the brink of financial ruin. The call for international support aims to mitigate these catastrophic losses and preserve the country's literary and cultural production.

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The country risks ‘the collapse of the entire book ecosystem’