The Ukrainian Book Institute (UBI) has called on the international publishing community to support Ukrainian publishers following Russian attacks in July and early August 2026.
Including the fire at the warehouses of the RNK-Ranok corporation on 1 August, losses to Ukraine’s publishing industry amount to around 30% of its annual book output.
In its appeal, the institute urged publishers and literary agencies to stop working with Russian publishers and literary agencies, raise awareness of Russia’s crimes against Ukrainian culture, cooperate with Ukrainian publishers and provide them with financial support.
The UBI said Russian attacks damaged publishing houses and printing facilities in Kyiv in July 2026. According to the institute, around 850,000 books were lost, accounting for roughly 5% of Ukraine’s annual book production. The destruction of the Konvi printing facility also caused delays in printing new editions.
Russian forces also attacked warehouses belonging to the RNK-Ranok corporation in Kharkiv. Nearly 8 million books and 28,800 copies were destroyed. Among the losses were around 600,000 textbooks prepared for delivery to schools. The damage is estimated at almost UAH 1 billion.
The UBI warned that the destruction of the textbooks could affect preparations for the start of the school year. “The state is preparing measures to restore the damaged infrastructure, but when it comes to compensation for destroyed books and other products, publishers largely depend on support from the publishing community and donations,” the appeal said.
The UBI called on international partners not only to provide financial support to affected publishers but also to stop working with Russian publishers and literary agencies. The institute also published details for donations to Konvi, Knyholav and RNK-Ranok.