Three years after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the toll on Ukrainian cultural infrastructure continues to rise. Russian drone and missile strikes have targeted multiple literary establishments so far this year: on January 1, the building housing the National Writers' Union of Ukraine in Kyiv was damaged, and the Odesa Literary Museum was damaged on January 31, according to the Ukrainian outlet Chytomo.
Moreover, attacks this February and March on Kharkiv, where much of Ukraine’s publishing infrastructure is based, damaged numerous bookstores and the Triada-Pak printing house.
"During a massive Shahed drone attack on Kharkiv on February 28, one of our bookstores was damaged by the blast wave—windows shattered, parts of the ceiling collapsed, and many books were destroyed,” Ihor Zarudko, director of the national bookstore chain Knygoland, said. Another Knygoland bookstore in a different district was also affected by nearby blasts, shattering windows and knocking shelves of books to the floor. "We are cleaning up and continuing to work," Zarudko said.
"Russia continues to deliberately target bookstores, printing houses, libraries and other cultural institutions because they influence not only the development of education and culture but also the strengthening of national identity," Zarudko added. In all, Knygoland bookstores have been targeted on six different occasions.
The media outlet Suspilne also reported damage to the KSD bookstore in Kharkiv, where 12 people were injured in the attack, according to the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office. The printer Triada-Pak in Kharkiv had its windows, roof, fence, office spaces, and equipment were destroyed, but reported no injuries.
Triada-Pak is asking for support for its publisher clients, including Ranok, Fabula, The Old Lion Publishing House, A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA, and Vivat. "Visit bookstores, buy Ukrainian books—they preserve our culture and strength. Together, we are strong!" the printer posted on social media.
Statistics from the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications reveal that since February 24, 2022, Russian shelling has damaged or destroyed 2,205 cultural infrastructure sites, including 790 Ukrainian libraries. The Kharkiv region and environs have been most severely affected, with 325 cultural sites impacted. Among the publishing-related institutions that have been attacked are numerous printing companies, including Factor Druk, Unisoft, House of Printing, and Hurov and Co., while the logistics center of the Ranok publishing house has also been damaged.
