Russian attack sets iconic Kyiv book market on fire, injures 3

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include details about the destruction of a book market in Kyiv.

Three people were injured after a Russian attack rocked Kyiv overnight on Aug. 16, sparking fires across Ukraine's capital, authorities reported.

Following the attack, a fire broke out at a book market near the Pochaina metro station in Kyiv, Suspilne reported. The blaze destroyed several rows of market stalls, along with books and vendors' property. The attack also damaged the entrance to the metro station and nearby retail outlets.

Publishing house Nash Format said its office near the station was affected as well, with sections of walls blown out in several rooms, the ceiling damaged, and furniture destroyed or knocked out of place.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko also reported fires at non-residential sites in Kyiv's Obolonskyi and Holosiivskyi districts.

Founded in 1997, the Pochaina Book Market was once one of Ukraine's largest book markets and a well-known destination for Kyiv's book enthusiasts, according to Chytomo. It housed hundreds of retail stalls and offered books from more than 120 publishers.

The strike comes amid a broader pattern of Russian attacks targeting Ukraine's publishing and book industry. On Aug. 1, a Russian drone hit a warehouse belonging to the Ukrainian publishing house Ranok in Kharkiv.

Russian attacks destroyed more than 1.5 million Ukrainian books in July alone, according to the Ukrainian Book Institute.

The attacks are also seen as part of Russia's centuries-long efforts to suppress Ukrainian culture and identity. The destruction of Ukrainian-language books represents not only an economic loss but also a blow to Ukraine's cultural identity.

In the city center, a total of four explosions were heard "very loudly" at around 2:50 a.m. local time, according to a Kyiv Independent journalist on the ground.

Six explosions were also heard from the city's Pecherskyi district within three minutes of the air raid sounding, leaving no time to find shelter, another reporter said.

The Air Force earlier in the night warned of the threat of a Russian ballistic missile attack, canceling the warning at 2:35 a.m. Just minutes later, at 2:46 a.m., the threat was declared again.

Further explosions and drones were heard in the city at 9:49 a.m., according to a Kyiv Independent reporter.

Russia regularly launches fatal attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure as it continues to wage its war.

On Aug. 11, Russian forces struck Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv using North Korean ballistic missiles and Zircon cruise missiles, authorities reported. That attack killed seven workers of the Zaporizhstal steel plant and injured a total of 24 in Zaporizhzhia. One more civilian was injured in Kyiv.

A Russian ballistic missile attack on Aug. 8 killed four, including a three-year-old child, in Ukraine's capital and Kyiv Oblast. Another ballistic missile attack on Aug. 5 killed 17 people in the capital and its surrounding area.