Authorities are exploring options to protect book repositories from Russian attacks
14 August 14:05
Serhiy Babak, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science, and Innovation, said that the government is looking for backup storage facilities to decentralize the storage of textbooks and is also considering a mechanism to provide financial support to publishers. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian".
“We are already looking for reserve storage facilities to decentralize the storage of printed textbooks and avoid concentrating large print runs in one place,” Babak wrote on Telegram following a meeting on the situation with textbooks destroyed as a result of Russian attacks.
He also noted that government officials are developing mechanisms to provide financial support to publishers for the prompt reprinting of destroyed copies.
The committee chair reported that, as a result of the attacks on July 19 in Kyiv and August 1 in Kharkiv, approximately 1.2 million copies of textbooks were destroyed—roughly 9% of the total print run of 13.5 million copies, which must be printed and delivered to students before the start of the school year.
“The main task now is to reprint the lost print run as quickly as possible. Publishers are already purchasing paper, negotiating with printing companies, and drawing up new printing schedules. At the same time, we are working with the government to find a mechanism for providing financial support to publishers. We will not leave them to face this crisis alone,” he emphasized.
In particular, the government is considering several options: a state order for reprinting, assistance from international partners, and the use of the reserve fund.
“We are also working on logistics. Ukrposhta and Nova Poshta have confirmed their readiness to promptly deliver the entire print run they receive from publishers. We are also changing our approach to storing the printed textbooks. They must be kept at various locations in small batches so as not to concentrate millions of copies in a single place,” Babak added.
Earlier, it was reported that the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture is convening a meeting on Friday with all publishers affected by Russian shelling.
As reported, on July 27, Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky instructed the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Finance to develop a mechanism for state support of the book publishing industry.
Watch us on YouTube: important topics – without censorship
Russian Attacks on Book Warehouses
Publishers, booksellers, and the industry association are counting on state support to compensate for losses resulting from Russian shelling. Publishers are also calling on the government to introduce preferential loans and insurance for inventory against war risks, as well as to launch programs to stimulate demand for books and replenish library collections.
Following yet another Russian shelling—which damaged publishing houses and printing plants—UIC Director Koval stated that 150–200 million hryvnias must be allocated to replace the one million books lost.
On the night of July 19, a Russian attack destroyed the warehouse of the “Knygolav” publishing house, resulting in the loss of 250,000 books. The MISON publishing house was also destroyed, and the office of the “Ark.Uey” publishing house in Kyiv was damaged. In addition, the printing plant of the “Konvi” group was destroyed, along with nearly 250,000 textbooks and 350,000 pre-printed sheets for publishing materials.
As a result of the Russian shelling of Kharkiv on August 1, the warehouses of the “Ranok” publishing house—which served as storage facilities for products from the “Knigoland,” “FabulaKnigomania,” READBERRY, Korali Books, and the “Ranok” publishing house itself. It was reported that textbooks were destroyed in the fire.
Read us on Telegram: important topics – without censorship
