At the 17th Le livre sur les quais book festival in Morges, Switzerland, an installation featuring Ukrainian books burnt as a result of a Russian attack was unveiled, Suspilne reports, citing a press release.
The books came from the logistics centre of the RNK-Ranok publishing corporation in Kharkiv, which was hit by Russian shelling on 1 August 2026.
The installation, for which the books were provided by Ranok Publishing House, was initiated by the IvAlive Foundation charity.
According to IvAlive Foundation founder Ivanna Onufriichuk, the project aimed to show an international audience the consequences of Russian attacks on Ukrainian culture.
“This installation left neither Ukrainians nor foreigners indifferent. It drew people’s attention; they stopped and looked at it. It particularly touched foreigners’ hearts, because for them these scorched books are a genuine artefact of war,” Onufriichuk explained.
Onufriichuk also stressed that, thanks to the installation, the foundation was able to tell visitors about the impact of Russian attacks on Ukrainians. She said the Swiss were struck by the scale of the destruction of books and the number of affected publishers, as well as the sight of charred children’s books.
Ranok Publishing House CEO Viktor Kruhlov added that for Ukraine’s book publishing industry this summer has been one of the toughest ordeals in the years of the full-scale war, and that international exhibitions are important for drawing attention to the situation facing Ukrainian publishing.
“All these attacks on publishers and book warehouses, and the number of books destroyed, point to a systematic objective. That is why every such exhibition abroad matters: it turns statistics into a concrete image that stays with people and prompts action,” Kruhlov commented.
The Le livre sur les quais festival ran from 4 to 6 September.
About the Russian shelling in Kharkiv on 1 August 2026:
- Russian forces hit the logistics centre of RNK-Ranok and the KnyhoLend distribution centre;
- the attack destroyed more than 8 million books, including 600,000 textbooks;
- the fire covered around 10,000 square metres;
- publishers affected included Ranok, Zhorzh, Fabula, Shche Odu Storinku, and others.
About the Le livre sur les quais festival:
- an annual three-day international book festival in Switzerland;
- last year, nearly 40,000 people attended the festival;
- this year’s theme was “Se raconter des histoires” (Telling Each Other Stories)
- the programme included meetings, book signings, readings, discussions, workshops, and other literary events.
About the IvAlive Foundation:
- a charity organisation founded in 2022 by Ivanna Onufriichuk;
- it aims to help Ukrainian refugees who are seeking to rebuild their lives in Switzerland;
- the foundation has taken part in the Le livre sur les quais festival for the third year in a row, presenting Ukrainian literature, including works translated into French and English.