Russian Missile Strike on Kharkiv Printing House Threatens 40% of Ukraine’s Publishing Industry

A missile strike on the Kharkiv printing house “Faktor-Druk” during a massive missile attack on Kharkiv on May 23 could reduce the capacity of Ukraine’s publishing industry by as much as 40%, according to the printing house’s owner, Serhiy Polytychyi.

“The situation has already developed where the combined capacity of all printing houses in Ukraine is no longer able to meet the needs of publishers. With the destruction of our printing house, the total capacity will decrease by no less than 30-40%. And thus, the very process of printing books, including textbooks, which we printed — probably up to 50% of all textbooks printed in the country — how we will do it tomorrow, I don’t know right now,” Polytychyi said.

He stated, that reconstruction of the printing house could take several months, while relocation to safer regions is too expensive.

“The problem is that it’s such a unique industry. The equipment is very expensive, and it’s almost impossible to transport it. It’s very costly in terms of time and money. The other part of the problem is the people. It takes at least 4-5 years to train a printer. Most of the representatives of this profession are in Kharkiv,” Polutuchnyi explained.

A Russian strike in Kharkiv’s Osnovyanskyi district has destroyed an estimated 50,000 books, according to local authorities.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Kharkiv printing house on May 24, expressing his gratitude to local authorities and population for assisting in the aftermath of the attack.

“Yesterday, a Russian missile strike killed seven people here,” president said, adding: “My condolences go out to their families and friends. Twenty-one people were injured. The printing facility was destroyed, and tens of thousands of books were burned. A lot of children’s books, educational materials, and textbooks.”