Russian missile and drone strikes have destroyed an estimated 12 million books and damaged more than 35 publishing facilities across Ukraine, with the attacks coming as schools prepare to reopen for a new academic year.
A printing plant on the outskirts of Kyiv was among the latest facilities hit.
The plant had been preparing to produce about 1.3 million books, representing roughly 10 per cent of Ukraine’s school textbooks, when a Russian missile struck during the night.
Viktoria Haidai, commercial director of Konvi publishing firm, said nothing could be salvaged from the damaged facility.
She accused Russia of deliberately targeting Ukraine’s publishing industry, saying several major publishing houses had also lost logistics warehouses holding large quantities of books.
“The Russians are also destroying printing houses in an attempt to erase Ukraine as a nation,” Haidai said, insisting that the attacks would not succeed.
Local media reports cited by the BBC said about one-third of all books printed in Ukraine this year had been destroyed.
The attacks have also extended beyond printing facilities. Kyiv’s Pochaina second-hand book market was recently hit, destroying hundreds of stalls and countless books.
Liliya Velyka, a 28-year-old book blogger, was found searching through the smouldering remains of the market after the attack.
She said books had become a source of strength for Ukrainians during the war.
“Books are saving us and losing this is like losing our hearts,” she said.
Ukraine’s cultural heritage has also suffered extensive damage. Museums, galleries, film studios, libraries and opera houses have been affected by Russian attacks.
At the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a major medieval monastery and cultural heritage site, a drone attack set fire to a large section of the roof of the Dormition Cathedral.
Religious artefacts had been moved to safety, but repairs to the cathedral are estimated to cost $11.2m and could take two years.
The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, which also houses Ukraine’s museum of books and printing, was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1990 and it was added to the organisation’s list of World Heritage Sites in Danger in 2023.
UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany condemned attacks on cultural property protected under international law.
Ukraine’s Culture Minister, Tetyana Berezhna, said the destruction of cultural sites should be viewed alongside the military impact of the war, arguing that Russia was seeking to undermine Ukraine’s national identity.
Berezhna said more than 1,900 heritage sites and over 2,000 cultural institutions had been attacked.
She said digitisation was being used to preserve Ukraine’s art and literature and ensure children could continue learning despite the destruction of physical books and cultural facilities.
Ukraine’s publishing industry has warned that it needs international support to survive the continued attacks.
Haidai said protecting the sector was essential to preserving Ukrainian literature, culture and history.
“The word is everything. It is our development, our culture, and our historical heritage that is passed down from generation to generation,” she said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously questioned the separate historical and cultural identity of Russians and Ukrainians. In a 2021 essay, he argued that the two peoples were one.
The Russian Embassy in the UK, however, rejected accusations that Russia was responsible for damage to Ukrainian cultural heritage. It blamed the Ukrainian government for removing monuments and renaming streets and alleged that cultural sites had been used to conceal military facilities.
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied deliberately targeting civilians during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, despite numerous missile and drone attacks that have damaged residential areas and civilian infrastructure.
