Russian Drone Strike Destroys 8 Million Books at Kharkiv Warehouse
Publishers say the attacks have destroyed more than 10 million books in recent months, deepening losses for Ukraine’s printing industry.
- On August 1, a Russian drone strike destroyed about 8 million books at Ranok's warehouse in Kharkiv, marking the publishing industry's biggest loss during the four-year-old war.
- Attacks on book warehouses have resonated deeply in Ukraine, where many see the war as a fight for national survival and identity, prompting Education Minister Andrii Butenko to describe them as attempts to destroy Ukrainian language and history.
- Publishers have lost more than 10 million books in recent months, with BookChef chief editor Yevhen Shyrynos reporting about 800,000 losses plus another 100,000 when a backup warehouse was hit.
- Danylo Hetmantsev, head of parliament's tax committee, told Ukrainian television that business despair over losses has not been seen since 2022, warning that all sectors will stagnate until the war ends.
- Most economists expect Ukraine's growth to slow further in 2026 as Russia intensifies strikes; a survey released on Wednesday by the Kyiv-based Centre for Economic Strategy cut the median forecast to 1.1% from 2.4%.
13 Articles
13 Articles
More than 11 million books destroyed in Ukrainian strikes on Wildberries warehouses, including school textbooks and copies of Russia’s Constitution
More than 11 million books have burned in Wildberries warehouses hit by Ukrainian attacks, according to calculations by the Russian Book Union, the Association of Russian Book Publishers, and the Association of Book Distributors.
A new phase of the war, known as "the warehouses", led to the destruction of nearly ten million books in six weeks. The stakes are not only economic, but identity. The Ukrainian-language book industry had indeed jumped after the country's large-scale invasion.
As Russian airstrikes continue to rain down on Ukraine, drones and missiles are not only killing people, they are also destroying Ukrainian culture. Ukraine publishes approximately 25 million books each year, but since the beginning of summer, Russia has destroyed more than 9.5 million. The latest attack of this kind took place in Kharkiv on August 1st, where a book warehouse was completely destroyed.
As a result of the Russian attack on the Ranok logistics center in Kharkiv, the Georges publishing house lost about 400 thousand books and 330 titles (the number of unique book titles - ed.). Nata Protas, the founder and director of the Georges publishing house, told Gvara Media. According to her, the destroyed books are approximately the volume of the publishing house's annual sales. The estimated cost of the lost goods is 70 million hryvnias. …
Millions of burnt books show how 'war of endurance' is hurting Ukraine, economy continues to slow
A Russian drone strike on Ranok's warehouse in the northeastern city of Kharkiv on August 1 destroyed about 8 million books, the biggest blow yet to Ukraine's publishing industry during the war.
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