During the not-yet-complete month of July, Russian attacks destroyed more than 1.5 million Ukrainian books. This was reported by the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov.
According to him, Russian missile strikes destroyed printing houses, burned down publishers’ warehouses, and destroyed hundreds of thousands of textbooks that were to be delivered to Ukrainian schools on the eve of the new academic year.
Budanov stressed that such actions are a deliberate continuation of Russia’s centuries-long policy aimed at destroying Ukrainian culture and national identity.
He recalled that it was in July 1863 that the Russian Empire issued the Valuev Circular, which restricted the printing of most books in the Ukrainian language, and 13 years later the Ems Ukaz almost completely wiped out Ukrainian book publishing.
“The goal remained unchanged—to deprive Ukrainians of their language, culture, education, and historical memory,” Budanov said.
At the same time, he emphasized that modern Ukraine is capable of protecting its culture.
“Today, Ukraine has its own state and its own army. Behind every Ukrainian book, every printing house, every library stand the Defence Forces of Ukraine. We will rebuild the printing houses and print new books. No circulars or decrees have been able to destroy the Ukrainian word. Russian missiles will not be able to do it either,” he stressed.