Millions of Burned Books Show How the War Is Hurting Ukraine

On August 1, a Russian drone struck a large book warehouse in Kharkiv, Ukraine, destroying about 8 million books. The warehouse belonged to Ranok, one of Ukraine's biggest children's book publishers. Viktor Kruhlov, the company's director, nearly cried as he watched the books burn to ash. 'It's a terrible sight to see books burning,' he said. The attack was the worst single strike on Ukraine's publishing industry since the war began four years ago.

Publishers across Ukraine say more than 10 million books total have been destroyed in warehouse attacks in recent months. Before these strikes, the book industry was actually growing. When the war started, many Ukrainians wanted more books in the Ukrainian language, so publishers were busy. But now, repeated attacks are putting the whole industry at risk.

Kruhlov said the first explosion at the warehouse was quickly followed by a second blast in the same spot. He believes the attack was planned on purpose. 'This was a deliberately planned attack against the book warehouse,' he said. Ranok prints about one-third of all the textbooks used in Ukrainian schools, so the loss affects students all over the country. Russia's government did not respond when asked to comment on the strikes.

Many Ukrainians feel the war is a fight to protect their country's identity and way of life. Ukraine's Education Minister Andrii Butenko said the attacks on books are an attempt to destroy the Ukrainian language, history, and memory — 'everything from which the identity of our children grows.' Russian President Vladimir Putin has often argued that Russians and Ukrainians are really one people, a view Ukraine strongly rejects. For Ukrainians, burning books feels like an attack on who they are.

Another publisher, BookChef, lost about 800,000 books — most of what it had in stock — in a Russian attack on Kyiv on July 2. Then just days later, another 100,000 books were destroyed when a backup warehouse was also hit. Chief editor Yevhen Shyrynos said the company is very worried about the future. 'There are signs of a crisis in the market. We don't yet know how the situation will develop,' he said.

Ukraine's overall economy has stayed afloat during the war, partly because of support from Western countries. But the country's total economic output is still about one-fifth lower than it was before the invasion. Economists say the war is becoming a test of which side can hold out longer. 'Essentially, it's a struggle for survival — whoever can hold out the longest,' said economist Olga Pindyuk.

Most economists think Ukraine's growth will slow even more in 2026. A recent survey cut next year's growth forecast from 2.4% down to just 1.1%. About 60% of all government spending this year is going toward defense, leaving little for other parts of the economy. The defense industry is one of the only areas that is actually growing right now.

Ukraine's farming industry is also taking a big hit. Farm products make up most of what Ukraine sells to other nations, making agriculture very important to the country. Russia's attacks on Black Sea ports could cost the farming sector between $1.5 billion and $3 billion this year. That is a huge amount of money for a country already stretched thin by war.

The book publishing industry faces its own special problems on top of everything else. Books take six to eighteen months to produce, so replacing lost copies takes a very long time. Printing costs have gone up about 40% over the past two years, making books more expensive to make. With less money to spend, fewer Ukrainians can now afford to buy books regularly.

Shyrynos does not see things getting better until the war ends. He described the war as 'a vast, bottomless abyss that devours whatever funds you allocate to it.' Publishers, farmers, and business owners all share the same fear — that the longer the war goes on, the harder it will be to recover. For now, Ukraine keeps fighting, both on the battlefield and to keep its economy and culture alive.