The International Publishers Association (IPA) has condemned a series of Russian attacks on Ukraine’s publishing industry, revealing that warehouses, printing facilities and publishing houses across several regions have been destroyed in recent weeks, leaving at least six people dead and more than eight million books reduced to ashes.
According to information released by the IPA, the attacks, which occurred throughout July and early August, targeted publishing infrastructure in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy and Kherson. Among the destroyed materials were millions of educational books intended for schoolchildren, raising fresh concerns over the impact of the war on Ukraine’s education sector and cultural heritage.
IPA President, Gvantsa Jobava, described the attacks as a deliberate assault on Ukrainian culture, praising publishers who continue to operate despite the dangers.
“Our Ukrainian publishing colleagues have consistently been targeted during this terrible war waged by Russia. They are bravely fighting to keep Ukrainian culture alive and to keep Ukrainian children learning. The international publishing community must keep finding ways to support our Ukrainian colleagues and all those publishers continuing their work in wartime,” Jobava said.
The Chair of the IPA Freedom to Publish Committee, Jessica Sänger, also condemned the destruction, describing it as an attempt to erase Ukraine’s cultural identity.
“These attacks on Ukrainian books are part of a despicable attempt to erase Ukrainian culture. We cannot stop the wars, but we can support our colleagues in war zones and find ways to keep them publishing the books that their communities need,” she said.
According to reports from the Ukrainian Publishers Association and the Ukrainian Book Institute, the attacks have devastated the country’s publishing sector.
On July 2, the central warehouse of Denka Logistics, logistics partner to BookChef Publishing House, was destroyed, resulting in the loss of about 800,000 books, representing most of the publisher’s inventory. The same strike also severely damaged Megapoligraf Printing House, one of the principal printers of school textbooks for Ranok Publishing House, destroying printing equipment, paper stocks, semi-finished products and newly printed educational materials.
Another attack on July 18 destroyed the warehouse of Knyholove Publishing House, where nearly 250,000 books were lost.
The following day, a Russian ballistic missile struck the Konvi Printing House, one of Ukraine’s leading printing facilities, destroying production workshops, printing and binding equipment, office facilities and approximately 250,000 school books. Materials intended for the production of an additional 350,000 books for several Ukrainian publishers were also destroyed.
The most devastating attack occurred on August 1 when an automated logistics centre belonging to Ukrainian publishing corporation RNK-Ranok in Kharkiv was destroyed. The company estimated that around eight million books were lost, including about 600,000 school textbooks prepared for the upcoming academic session.
The Ukrainian Publishers Association called on the international community to intensify support for the country’s publishing industry by advocating greater protection for publishers, authors, printers, libraries and educational institutions affected by the war.
It also appealed for emergency international assistance to rebuild destroyed printing facilities, support fundraising efforts for affected publishers and ensure that the deliberate destruction of Ukrainian books and publishing infrastructure remains a prominent issue at international book fairs, publishing forums and IPA activities.
Similarly, the Ukrainian Book Institute urged governments, organisations and individuals worldwide to cease cooperation with Russian entities, raise awareness of attacks on Ukraine’s cultural heritage, support Ukrainian publishers through partnerships and donations, and contribute to humanitarian and defence efforts aimed at helping those affected by the ongoing conflict.
The attacks represent one of the largest documented losses suffered by Ukraine’s publishing industry since the Russian invasion began, with education, literature and cultural preservation among the latest casualties of the prolonged war.