A Russian drone strike on Saturday destroyed a large warehouse belonging to one of Ukraine’s leading publishers in Kharkiv, incinerating millions of books and causing significant material losses. The attack, which injured one person, targeted a 108,000-square-foot storage facility operated by Ranok Publishing House.

Viktor Kruglov, the general director of Ranok Publishing House, characterized the strike as deliberate rather than accidental. He told Ukrainian media that the warehouse was still inaccessible due to ongoing fires and high temperatures, with “several millions” of volumes lost, including many children’s textbooks. The destruction is expected to disrupt supplies for schools ahead of the new academic year, according to Kruglov, who estimated damages could approach $7 million.

In addition to Ranok, KnyhoLand, a prominent Ukrainian bookstore chain, also relied on the warehouse for inventory storage. Igor Zarudko, director of KnyhoLand, announced on social media that the company had stopped accepting orders amid the fire and advised the public to “take care” during the ongoing hostilities.

This incident represents the latest in a series of reported attacks targeting Ukraine’s book industry, which Ukrainian officials and cultural organizations say are part of a broader campaign by Russia to undermine Ukrainian national identity. The Ukrainian Book Institute reported that more than 1.5 million books were destroyed during strikes in July, including a particularly large attack in early July that destroyed around 900,000 books. Another strike in mid-July damaged approximately 250,000 volumes in Kyiv.

The drone attack on the Kharkiv warehouse coincided with a broader wave of missile and drone strikes on Kyiv on the same day. The aerial bombardment resulted in at least nine fatalities and 22 injuries in the capital. Debris from one of the strikes damaged a five-story residential building, causing two deaths and wounding eight people, while prompting the evacuation of 35 residents from upper floors.

July was the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since the conflict escalated, with at least 377 killed and over 2,100 injured. The threat to Kyiv has intensified amid concerns over possible involvement by Russia’s allies in Tehran, following a recent Ukrainian strike on an Iranian merchant ship in the Caspian Sea that killed an Iranian sailor.