Russian missile destroys Kyiv printing plant, wiping out millions of schoolbooks

A Russian missile struck a printing facility on Kyiv’s edge during the night, destroying equipment that was about to print 1.3 million schoolbooks, or about one-tenth of the nation’s textbooks. The blaze left nothing salvageable; even the pages that escaped fire were ruined by water from firefighting efforts. Viktoria Haidai, commercial director of Konvi publishing, described the attack as a deliberate attempt to erase Ukrainian cultural identity.

Over the past two months, more than 35 publishing sites have been hit, and other cultural venues—including the Pochaina second-hand book market and the historic Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery—have also been damaged. UNESCO has listed the Lavra as a heritage site in danger, and officials warn that the publishing sector faces existential threats without international aid.