The war in Ukraine is leaving behind serious damage not only to infrastructure, but also to the country's publishing sector and cultural heritage. Printing houses, warehouses and publishing houses have been hit by Russian attacks, while millions of books have been destroyed. One of the latest strikes has hit a printing house on the outskirts of Kiev, where work was at its peak before the start of the new school year. The factory was preparing about 1.3 million books, which made up about 10% of the textbooks needed for Ukrainian students.

A Russian missile hit the facility overnight, causing extensive damage. A charred page from an English textbook was found among the rubble, where students learned about a character named William and the British city of Nottingham. According to data reported by authorities and local media, the recent attacks have led to the destruction of about 12 million books. More than 35 buildings related to the publishing industry have been damaged in recent weeks.

Viktoria Haidai, commercial director of publishing company Konvi, says the attacks on the book sector cannot be seen simply as war damage. “I believe this is deliberate on the part of the Russian Federation,” she said, adding that in recent months some of the largest publishing houses have also lost their warehouses, where thousands of books were stored. According to Haidai, the damage to printing houses and the distribution chain directly threatens the continuity of the book industry in Ukraine.

The damage was not limited to new books. The second-hand book market in Pochaina, Kiev, was also hit by the attacks. Hundreds of stalls were destroyed, along with a large number of books, including publications of historical and cultural value. Amid the rubble, 28-year-old book blogger Liliya Velyka tried to salvage whatever was left. She held a water-damaged science fiction novel in her hands. “Books are saving us, and losing them is like losing our hearts,” she said.

In addition to the publishing sector, the war has caused significant damage to museums, libraries, art galleries, theaters, and other cultural institutions. At the historic complex of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, one of Ukraine’s most important monuments, a drone strike caused damage, including to parts of the structures and roof of the Dormition Cathedral. Religious artifacts were moved to a safe location, while material damage is estimated at about $11.2 million. Restoration could take up to two years.

The Kiev-Pechersk Lavra has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1990, and in 2023 the complex was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger. UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany has condemned the damage to cultural monuments, stressing that such objects are protected by international law. Ukraine's Minister of Culture, Tetyana Berezhna, directly links the damage to heritage to the very nature of war.

“Russia wants to destroy us as a nation and erase us as a nation,” she said, arguing that the targeting of monuments, books and cultural institutions aims to erase traces of Ukrainian identity. According to data presented by Ukrainian authorities, more than 1,900 cultural heritage sites and over 2,000 cultural institutions have been affected by the war.

In an effort to preserve what can be saved, Ukraine is increasingly turning to digitization, archiving books, artworks and other cultural materials in electronic form. But experts warn that the publishing industry remains under immense pressure and that without international support, not only book production but also the preservation of an important part of the country's cultural identity is at risk.

"The word is everything. It is our development, our culture and our historical heritage, which is passed down from one generation to the next," said Haidai.