Russian Strikes Destroy 12m Ukrainian Books Before School
Tuesday, 2026/09/01163 words3 minutes443 reads
Russian strikes have damaged Ukraine's publishing industry just before the new school year. Printing sites, warehouses and a second-hand book market have been hit. The Ukrainian Book Institute says the industry lost around 13 million books during July and August.
The losses include school textbooks and finished books waiting in storage. On 1 August, an attack on warehouses linked to the RNK-Ranok publishing corporation in Kharkiv destroyed book production equal to about 30% of the industry's yearly output, the institute said. Other publishers had already lost large warehouse stocks.
Replacing the books is difficult. A printing facility, paper, transport and money are all needed before a new copy reaches a classroom. Ukraine says the strikes damage cultural life as well as business. Publishers fear that some companies may not survive the financial loss.
The figures are estimates, and the exact number of destroyed books can change as damage is assessed. But the timing makes the losses especially serious for schools preparing for September.
