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Teenagers Defy Russia With a Secret Book Club in Temporarily Occupied Ukraine

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Amira_barkhush
Amira Barkhush
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Teenagers Defy Russia With a Secret Book Club in Temporarily Occupied Ukraine
A man is collecting books in the damaged apartment of a residential building that was destroyed by a Russian missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 3, 2024. (Source: Getty Images)

In one of Ukraine’s occupied cities, teenagers have formed a secret book club to read and discuss Ukrainian poetry and prose that Russia is trying to erase.

This was reported by British writer Peter Pomerantsev and Ukrainian author Alina Dykhman in an article by The Guardian released on March 22.

The article tells the story of 17-year-old Mariika [name changed] and her friends who have to draw the curtains and make sure no one is lurking near the door before gathering to discuss books in a private apartment.

“In the town where Mariika lives, the occupiers have removed and destroyed the Ukrainian books from several libraries – nearly 200,000 works of politics, history and literature lost in one town alone,” the article reads.

Because of this Mariika and her friends turn to digital books, reading Ukrainian poetry and prose online and then quickly erasing their search history.

“They don’t teach us knowledge at school,” said Mariika, “but to hate other Ukrainians. They’ve taken down all Ukrainian symbols and have hung portraits of Putin everywhere. History is all about ‘great Russia’ and how it’s always been under attack by others.”

The Guardian adds that the Russian imposed curriculum portrays Ukraine as a lesser “brother nation” within a grand all-Russian identity — one supposedly united by the greatness of the Russian language and culture.

Part of what keeps Mariika’s secret book club alive is the hope that people beyond the occupied territories will understand there are still people in the occupied territories who are fighting for their right to be Ukrainian.

On October 4, 2024, an official report revealed that nearly 2,100 cultural institutions have been damaged or destroyed as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It is important to note that this includes only documented cases.

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