Key facts
- A Russian drone strike hit a warehouse of the Ukrainian publishing house Ranok in Kharkiv on August 1, 2026.
- The attack caused a fire covering approximately 10,000 square meters and destroyed thousands of books.
- One man was injured in the strike.
- The warehouse also served KnyhoLand, a large bookstore chain.
- Russian attacks have increasingly targeted Ukraine's book industry, with over 1.5 million books destroyed in July.
A Russian drone strike on August 1, 2026, hit a warehouse belonging to the Ukrainian publishing house Ranok in Kharkiv, causing a significant fire and destroying thousands of books. Local authorities reported that one man was injured in the attack, though a female employee initially feared unreachable was later confirmed safe.
The warehouse, spanning approximately 10,000 square meters, was also utilized by KnyhoLand, a major Ukrainian bookstore chain, for storing books and processing customer orders. In response to the strike, KnyhoLand temporarily suspended online orders, but its physical stores remained operational.
This incident is part of a broader pattern of Russian attacks targeting Ukraine's book industry. According to the Ukrainian Book Institute, Russian strikes in July alone resulted in the destruction of over 1.5 million Ukrainian books. Previous attacks include the destruction of nearly 250,000 books belonging to publisher Knyholove on July 19, and the loss of around 800,000 books for publishing house BookChef on July 2, both in Kyiv.