Russia destroyed one-third of the books printed in Ukraine this year
Russian strikes over the summer of 2026 destroyed approximately 13 million books — nearly one-third of the total volume Ukrainian publishers printed in all of 2025 (about 33.2 million copies). Significant losses came from attacks on printing houses and warehouses, including a single strike in Kharkiv that wiped out around 8 million books belonging to the Ranok publisher and the KnyhoLend chain, plus further hits on facilities in Kyiv. Among the destroyed stock were more than 1 million school textbooks, creating immediate shortages just before the new academic year.
For an already small industry with an annual turnover of roughly $170–190 million, the impact is severe. Publishers face years of recovery, higher reprinting costs, disrupted logistics, and the need to decentralize warehouses. Book prices are expected to rise by 8–10%. Some smaller publishing houses risk permanent closure, while overall print runs may fall by 15% and sales by up to 25% this year. The physical retail network remains tiny — total bookstore floor space is only slightly larger than six football fields.
Apart from pure economics, the attacks amount to a deliberate assault on Ukrainian culture and education. The loss of textbooks delays school supplies, forces temporary reliance on digital versions, and erases unique titles that cannot be easily replaced. Industry representatives have called for high-level government intervention, including a National Security and Defense Council meeting, to support recovery and protect remaining infrastructure.
Putin calls Ukraine's peace proposals "exotic" and unacceptable
Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed Ukraine’s proposals for a peace settlement as “exotic” and unacceptable to Moscow, while saying Russia remains open to negotiations on its own terms.
Speaking to Russian state media, Putin declined to specify which proposals from Kyiv he was referring to, saying they represented attempts to explore possible areas for agreement. He said it was too early to discuss what could ultimately form the basis of a settlement.
Putin insisted that any peace agreement must be based on what he called the “realities on the ground,” while accusing Ukraine of trying to prevent the situation from developing into a catastrophe.
He also accused Kyiv of targeting civilian infrastructure in Russia and threatened further Russian strikes in response, saying Moscow could disrupt Ukrainian logistics and that Russia’s military actions would be “far more significant and far more destructive.”
A nationalized bank was turned into a piggy bank for Zelensky's allies
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) accused associates of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of using Sense Bank to launder Hr 150 million ($3.4 million), allegedly to provide bail for former Energy and Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko in the separate Energoatom corruption case. Investigators say the scheme was linked to a broader network around Zelensky’s former associates.
A key figure in the investigation is Iryna Mudra, Zelenskyy’s former deputy chief of staff. Documents show that Mudra, who headed the committee responsible for selecting supervisory board members at state-owned banks, pushed for the appointment of Mykola Hladyshchenko despite concerns about his qualifications and potential conflicts of interest. Hladyshchenko was later appointed chairman of Sense Bank’s supervisory board.
Secretly recorded conversations released by NABU on August 19 also allegedly implicate Mudra in efforts to arrange Halushchenko’s bail. In the recordings, she allegedly says that her “boss” instructed her to organize the bail and discusses with others how to bypass a regulatory block on a payment through Sense Bank. The recordings also allegedly mention forged documents and a money-laundering operation.
Sense Bank was nationalized in 2023 after being owned by Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman. Critics of the nationalization process have raised concerns about its lack of transparency and corporate oversight. The bank was initially expected to be privatized, but the process was delayed, giving the alleged network time to gain influence over its management and supervisory board.
On Aug. 20, Ukrainian authorities moved to remove Hladyshchenko from the supervisory board and suspend CEO Oleksiy Stupak as the investigation into the bank continues.