At the Annual General Assembly of the European Writers’ Council held 2024 in Helsinki, more than 60 delegates and Board Members of 19 European countries representing over 220,000 professional authors in the text and book sector, condemn the Russian attack on Ukrainian’s largest printing house in Kharkiv. The EWC and its members send its deepest condolences to the families for their loss of the lives of seven civilians working at the printing house and wish for the complete recovery to the 22 injured ones. The EWC also expresses its solidarity to the entire Ukrainian book sector, as this terrible attacked destroyed a central company that stands at the Ukrainian heart for books, literature, and the voices of authors.

Helsinki, 26th of May. On Thursday, 23^rd of May russian missiles destroyed one of Ukraine’s largest printing houses Faktor-Druk. The presumably targeted attacks by Russia have now paralysed almost the entire book sector in Ukraine. Factor-Druk was bombed one week before the The International Book Arsenal Festival (30^th of May), where dozens of publishing book novelties of Ukrainian and European authors are printed for the book fair in Kyiv. This purposeful act of war took the lives of seven civilians who were working at the printing house, 22 people were injured.

EWC’ President Miguel Ángel Serrano says: “We are alarmed and horrified by this attack by Russia, which wants to erase the Ukrainian book landscape, its voices, and its language. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the injured and their families, and with the families of the victims. Putin is weaponizing the language, targeted attacks on the Ukrainian book sector are a despicable part of Russian war crimes that violate international law. We continue to support our Ukrainian colleagues and demand: These monstrous and inhumane acts by Russia against Ukraine must stop!”

And Paula Havaste, EWC Board member and representantive of the Finnish hosts of the EWC’ AGM, says: “Printers and workers were killed and seriously wounded, books were burnt. The Finnish and European community of writers and translators stand with their Ukrainian colleagues and condemn Russia’s cowardly attempt to destroy a culture, a nation, its language. And even if we lack the words to express our shock at Russia’s attack on Factor, we will never lack the words to demand: Russia’s war against Ukraine must end.”

On 24^th of May, Yulia Orlova, Director General of Vivat, who belongs to the same holding as Faktor-Druk, published a letter of appeal to the Ukrainian and international book community to request to support the families of the injured and murdered workers and to support Ukrainian publishing industry: “A printing press of this magnitude stopping its work can affect Ukraine’s entire book publishing field since it printed everything from school textbooks and children’s literature to books on the current war to publications in language and history.

During yesterday’s shelling of Kharkiv by Russian missiles, there was a direct hit on the manufacturing plant of Factor-Druk. (…)”. She adds an intense appeal to the global publishing, writers and readers community: “Please share and spread the word about this tragedy to the world – about how the enemy is destroying Ukrainian books and culture, attempting to disrupt the development of our nation. Support from all corners of the world is currently vital for us.”

The “Factor” company has initiated a fundraiser. All donations will be used to support those affected and to restore the printing industry.

Company details / company Name:

CHARITY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF KHARKIV “TOLOKA”

Name of the bank:

JSC CB “PRIVATBANK”, 1D HRUSHEVSKOHO STR., KYIV, 01001, UKRAINE

Bank SWIFT Code: PBANUA2X

Company address: 106a Sumska Street, Kharkiv, 61002, Ukraine, Kharkiv region, Kharkiv city

Reference: factor druk

EUR: IBAN Code: UA633515330000026004052234902

USD: IBAN Code: UA233515330000026008052136352