--- title: "Russian Strikes Destroy 13 Million Ukrainian Books: Publishers Speak Out" description: "In the summer of 2026, Russian missile and drone strikes destroyed about 13 million Ukrainian books, representing one-third of the year's print runs. Publishers report massive losses and warehouse ruins, but push forward with recovery efforts." date: 2026-10-05T02:28:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/russian-strikes-destroy-13-million-ukrainian-books tags: [ukraine-books, publishing-industry, war-damage, ranok-publisher, ukrainian-culture] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Russian Strikes Destroy 13 Million Ukrainian Books: Publishers Speak Out ![Burned warehouse containing destroyed Ukrainian books following Russian strikes](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/05/udary-rossii-unichtozhili-13-millionov-ukrainskih-knig/udary-rossii-unichtozhili-13-millionov-ukrainskih-knig-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - About 13 million books were destroyed in Ukraine during the summer of 2026 due to Russian attacks - The 'Ranok' publishing house lost about 8 million copies and 85% of its stock after a strike in Kharkiv - Publishers Vivat, Krapky, 'A-BA-BA-GA-LA-MA-GA', Knyholov, and BookChef also suffered severe losses - Publishers are shifting storage systems to distribute print runs across small warehouses nationwide Russian missile and drone attacks in the summer of 2026 resulted in the destruction of approximately 13 million Ukrainian books, accounting for roughly a third of all publications printed in the country this year. This unprecedented blow has inflicted severe damage not only on the economy of domestic publishing but also on cultural infrastructure, as the destroyed literature is directly linked to the Ukrainian language and identity. ### Large-scale Destruction and the Attack on the 'Ranok' Publishing House One of the most tragic episodes was the attack on the warehouse of the Kharkiv-based publisher 'Ranok' in August 2026. At the time of the strike, the facility held 628,000 new school textbooks prepared for the academic year. Co-founder and CEO Viktor Kruglov, along with five employees, miraculously escaped death: the explosion occurred just 30 meters away from them. After the initial blast, staff tried to extinguish the fire, but a second wave of attack forced them to evacuate. The resulting fire, which burned for a whole week, destroyed about 8 million copies—over 85% of the publisher's stock, including children's books and young adult literature. ### Damage to Other Publishers and Logistical Changes Other players in Ukraine's book market were also severely affected. Kyiv-based Krapky lost its entire stock following a strike on a warehouse in the capital's suburb, meaning the publisher had no physical books to sell at the September BookForum in Lviv—visitors could only place pre-orders. Kharkiv's Vivat lost books worth 16 million hryvnias, 'A-BA-BA-GA-LA-MA-GA' lost about 40,000 books valued at around $500,000, and the warehouses of 'Knyholov' and logistics partner BookChef lost hundreds of thousands of books. In response to the ongoing threat, publishers are altering their storage systems by distributing large stocks across multiple small warehouses nationwide, though this may lead to longer delivery times. ### Cultural Context and Authorities' Stance Ukrainian authorities note that the deliberate destruction of book warehouses and logistics centers is part of a broader campaign targeting civilian infrastructure. Deputy Minister of Culture Bohdana Layuk emphasized that since the occupiers cannot capture key cities, they are trying to deprive citizens of everyday life elements, including books. Furthermore, in temporarily occupied territories, Russian military forces have been systematically confiscating and destroying Ukrainian-language books from libraries. ### Prospects for Book Market Recovery Despite massive financial losses and the threat of an autumn shortage of certain titles, Ukrainian publishers remain determined to rebuild. The market, which shifted heavily towards domestic authors and the Ukrainian language following the 2022 import ban, demonstrates high resilience. Large publishers are already forming their 2027 publishing plans and working on reprinting lost textbooks, although smaller companies like Who is That? have had to temporarily suspend operations. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Удары России уничтожили 13 миллионов украинских книг: что говорят издатели](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/udari-rosiyi-znishchili-13-milyoniv-ukrayinskih-1791166885.html) - Основной источник данных по общим масштабам уничтоженных книг и заявлениям издательств. - [Будут ли ученики Харькова с учебниками после атаки на «Ранок»? Ответ Деменко](https://www.objectiv.tv/objectively/2026/08/26/budut-li-ucheniki-harkova-s-uchebnikami-posle-ataki-na-ranok-otvet-demenko/) - Детали по атаке на харьковское издательство Ранок и учебному процессу. - [Издательство «Ранок»: учебники будут традиционно вовремя – несмотря на непогоду и обстрелы](https://ru.osvita.ua/school/95037/) - Подтверждение планов издательства по выпуску учебников. - [МОН заказало учебники для 8 класса на 1,06 млрд грн – самый дорогой экземпляр стоит 3900 грн](https://parlament.ua/ru/news/mon-zakazalo-uchebniki-dlya-8-klassa-na-106-mlrd-grn-samyj-dorogoj-ekzemplyar-stoit-3900-grn/) - Контекст государственных закупок учебной литературы в Украине. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: How many books were destroyed in Ukraine in the summer of 2026? **A:** According to authorities and publishers, Russian attacks destroyed about 13 million books, making up one-third of all editions printed in the country in 2026. ### Q: Which publishing houses suffered the most? **A:** Kharkiv-based 'Ranok' suffered the heaviest losses (about 8 million books), followed by Vivat, Krapky, 'A-BA-BA-GA-LA-MA-GA', Knyholov, and logistics partner BookChef. ### Q: How are publishers planning to protect books from future attacks? **A:** Publishers are switching to a new logistics model, planning to distribute large book reserves across several small warehouses in different regions of the country.