Russian strikes destroy 12 million books ahead of Ukraine's first week back at school
Russian missile strikes have destroyed approximately 12 million books across Ukraine, including school textbooks and historical archives. Publishing industry leaders describe these attacks as a deliberate attempt to erase Ukrainian culture and national identity.
Why it matters
The destruction of educational and cultural infrastructure represents a significant escalation in the targeting of civilian life during the ongoing conflict.
Image caption, Russia targeted a famous second-hand book market in Kyiv recently, as well as publishing warehouses and printing presses nationwide
Viktoria Haidai surveys the mangled remains of the printing press, which should have been busy churning out textbooks ready for the new school year.
The plant, on the edge of Kyiv, was hit during the night by a Russian missile, just as production was ramping up to deliver 1.3 million books – 10% of Ukraine's schoolbooks.
In the ashes there is a charred page from an English language textbook: "My name is William, I'm from the UK. My grandmother lives in Nottingham. It's a beautiful city."
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