The German publishing house Molino Verlag has cancelled the release of Juna Liebrecht’s debut novel (Juna Liebrecht) “Wer ich bin, wenn du mich siehst” (“Who I Am When You See Me”), about a love affair between a Ukrainian woman and a Russian soldier in occupied Kherson, following accusations of romanticising the Russo-Ukrainian war. This was reported by Chytomo, citing German media.
The decision was taken at the author’s request after a wave of criticism on social media. According to the publisher’s head, Matthias Slunitschek (Matthias Slunitschek), the team received a large number of messages accusing it of romanticising the war in Ukraine.
Critics questioned how responsibly the publisher portrayed Ukrainians’ experiences under Russian occupation. In particular, one message to the publisher noted that presenting a Russian soldier as a rescuer and romantic partner for a Ukrainian civilian woman in occupied Kherson could romanticise military occupation, violence and the suffering of Ukraine’s civilian population.
Publisher Matthias Slunitschek explained that the author had wanted to show the meeting of two people whose feelings go beyond the circumstances in which they find themselves.
“The author’s idea was that two people meet, and that this human encounter proves stronger than external circumstances. In fact, it is a novel that stands for humanity and peace and against war,” Slunitschek said.
In a comment to dpa, Juna Liebrecht apologised to those her book may have offended or upset. The writer said she had not intended to offend anyone with her work.
“I did not want to romanticise the war. That was never my intention,” the author stressed.
Liebrecht added that she is not from Ukraine herself and did not set out to recreate real events of the war in the novel.
“Wer ich bin, wenn du mich siehst” is Juna Liebrecht’s debut novel, set in the spring of 2022 in Kherson, occupied by Russian forces. The book’s main character is a Ukrainian woman, Lucia, who lost almost everything she had after the city was occupied. After an explosion, she is rescued by a masked Russian soldier. They later meet again, and a secret romantic relationship develops between them.
As stated in the publisher’s blurb on its website, the more closely Lucia gets to know the man, the more she realises that love cannot justify violence or absolve guilt.
The novel was due to be published on 1 November 2026, and on 7 November it was scheduled to be presented at a book festival in Baden-Baden. For her work on the book, Liebrecht received a grant from the Association for the Support of Writers in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg.