Russian strike destroys BookChef's backup warehouse: over 100,000 books burned
Kyiv • UNN
As a result of a nighttime missile attack, the backup warehouse of BOOKCHEF publishing house was destroyed, and over 100,000 books burned. The publishing house is reviewing preorder deadlines and calling on readers for support.
As a result of a nighttime missile strike, the reserve warehouse of the BOOKCHEF publishing house, which operated on the premises of logistics partner Denka Logistics, was destroyed. The publishing house reported this, according to UNN.
More than 100,000 copies of books burned in the fire, including warehouse stock and new print runs that had recently arrived from printing houses.
Details
BOOKCHEF said that the reserve warehouse began operating after a previous Russian attack that destroyed the publishing house’s main central warehouse.
After that strike, the company managed to preserve some of its book products at a smaller reserve facility. It held stock of books that had already been published, as well as new releases that had only recently been printed and were expected to reach readers soon.
As a result of the new missile strike, the warehouse caught fire. According to the publishing house’s preliminary estimates, the blaze destroyed more than 100,000 books.
"The fire took more than 100,000 BOOKCHEF books. This includes all our warehouse stock and new releases that had only recently arrived from the printing houses and were very soon supposed to be in your hands," the publishing house reported.
Company representatives emphasized that some of the destroyed editions never had time to reach bookstores or be sent to customers.
"We are always happy when a new print run arrives from the printing house. Today, instead of that joy, there is emptiness. Some of these books never had the chance to meet their readers," BOOKCHEF said.
What will happen to readers’ preorders
Due to the loss of warehouse stock, the publishing house has been forced to revise the fulfillment deadlines for preorders. Specialists are currently assessing the extent of the damage and determining which book editions will need to be reprinted.
The exact dates for shipping the books will depend on when the company can launch new warehouse facilities, restore logistics processes, and reach agreements with printing houses to reproduce the destroyed editions.
BOOKCHEF assured readers that once detailed information is available, updated release dates for new print runs and reprints will appear on the publishing house’s website. Customers will be able to check the status of their orders separately.
The company is not yet naming the final amount of the losses. At the same time, the loss of more than 100,000 books means not only the destruction of finished products, but also the need to spend money again on printing, storage, transportation, and restoring warehouse infrastructure operations.
The publishing house asks readers for support
BOOKCHEF urged readers to buy books that are still available in the publishing house’s online store. Customers are advised to look for the "In stock" label.
The publishing house’s books can also be purchased from partner online and offline bookstores throughout Ukraine.
In addition, BOOKCHEF called on people to share information about the warehouse’s destruction, emphasizing that Russian attacks target not only infrastructure and Ukrainian businesses, but also the cultural sphere.
The publishing house also published details for charitable donations, which are planned to be used to restore operations and reprint the destroyed books.
"We are sincerely grateful to everyone who remains by our side. We will stand firm. And we will definitely print these books again," the publishing house emphasized.
The company said that, despite the repeated loss of warehouse stock, it does not plan to cease operations and intends to restore the destroyed print runs.
Context
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the Russian Federation has carried out at least 19 targeted attacks on Ukraine’s book infrastructure. Printing houses, book warehouses, logistics centers, bookstores, and book markets have come under attack.
The Kharkiv and Kyiv regions—key centers of Ukrainian publishing—suffered the greatest losses.
In addition, over the years of the war, 12 industry workers have been killed and another 30 wounded as a result of Russian strikes on printing houses.