Culture

Russia's large-scale attack destroys nearly 250,000 Ukrainian books

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Russia's large-scale attack destroys nearly 250,000 Ukrainian books
Illustrative image: A pile of books lies inside the damaged House of Culture in Posad-Pokrovske, Kherson region, on Nov. 4, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Roman Pilipey / AFP via Getty Images)

The latest Russian attack on Kyiv overnight on July 19 destroyed nearly 250,000 books in Knyholove's inventory, the Ukrainian publishing house reported.

Russia deployed 125 drones, 25 ballistic missiles, 10 Zirkon hypersonic missiles, and six other missiles amid the large-scale attack, Ukraine's Air Force reported, with most projectiles aimed at Ukraine's capital. Officials reported that one person was killed and 17 others injured in the attack on Kyiv and surrounding regions.

According to Knyholove, the company's warehouse was destroyed in the overnight attack. No employees of the publishing house were harmed in the attack.

"Russia once again proves that it is waging a war not only against people, but also against Ukrainian culture, education, and our future," the publishing house wrote on social media.

The latest attack on a publishing house is just the latest business to face a major setback because of damages inflicted by Russian attacks.

Following a similar Russian attack on July 2, another publishing house, BookChef said that 800,000 books were destroyed in the company's inventory when the central warehouse of their logistics partner was struck.

Ukraine's publishing industry previously overcame a major setback in 2024 when a Russian attack on Kharkiv, where nearly 80% of books in Ukraine are published, destroyed over 50,000 books in the Faktor Druk printing house.

Knyholove said the they are working "to restore all processes as quickly as possible" while warning customers about "temporary" shipping delays following the strike.


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Dmytro Basmat

Senior News Editor

Dmytro Basmat is a Senior News Editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.

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