Lviv Region will allocate 2 million hryvnias from the regional budget to purchase books from Ukrainian publishers currently stored in warehouses. The acquired titles will be distributed to libraries across the region.
The decision was taken against the backdrop of a Russian strike on a warehouse in Kyiv Region, where books from Ukrainian publishers and bookshops were stored. As a result of the attack, more than 60,000 copies were destroyed, and the estimated losses of Ukrainian businesses exceed 23 million hryvnias.
Head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration Maksym Kozytskyi stated that the funds from the regional budget will be used specifically to buy out books from the warehouses of Ukrainian publishers, in order to support the sector and ensure readers’ access to Ukrainian literature.
“The Ukrainian book is part of our identity, our culture and our memory. Russia understands this, which is why it is trying to destroy not only books, but everything that shapes what is Ukrainian. Our task is not to let it succeed. Every Ukrainian book purchased today is support for the publisher and a chance for that book to reach its reader,” noted Head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration Maksym Kozytskyi.
The head of the region also appealed to community leaders and local councillors in Lviv Region to join the initiative and allocate funds for the purchase of books for local libraries, schools and other municipal institutions. According to him, even small amounts from each community, on a regional scale, can provide tangible support for Ukrainian publishers and help preserve the Ukrainian book for readers.