Ukrainian Book Industry Reports Losses of 1.19 Billion UAH

Ukrainian publishers have appealed to President Volodymyr Zelensky to convene a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) to discuss the state of the book industry and its revival. Estimates indicate that the direct damage from Russian attacks amounts to at least 1.19 billion UAH, with approximately 13 million books destroyed over the summer. The association, which unites 97 publishers, printing houses, and bookstores, demands the implementation of mechanisms for compensating losses, insuring print runs against military risks, and providing accessible loans for business recovery. The annual turnover of Ukraine's book market is around 7-8 billion UAH. A reduction in total print runs is expected to reach 15% by 2026, while sales in copies may decrease by up to 25%. One of the largest losses was the destruction of about 8 million books in Kharkiv, where the products of the 'Utro' publishing house and the 'KnigoLend' network were stored, with damages estimated at 1 billion UAH. The association proposes allocating funds for damage compensation, extending military risk insurance to goods in circulation, and restoring direct state purchases of books for libraries. There is also a concern regarding the inadequacy of the current military risk compensation mechanism, which does not include finished print runs.