Destruction of Buildings and Books
Shandryholove was hit by Russian rockets, which destroyed homes, a school, a kindergarten, and a library. No books were left in the Shandryholivska Village Library due to the damages of the war.
The Hranitne Village Library was completely destroyed during the war. Librarians lost their jobs and homes. The library is still in occupied territory, and there is information that the invading army burned all Ukrainian literature.
The Hranitne Village Library did not provide any photographs.
Between February of 2022 and March of 2023, the Russian army launched 17 missile strikes on university facilities in Kharkiv. The Scientific Library of O.M. Beketov, Kharkiv National University of Urban Economy was among the damaged buildings.
“During the Russian invasion, my village was occupied, and my family and I were forced to flee under fire. I lost my job, and the library was vilified and looted. In it, the occupiers ambushed and kept corpses.”
“In our library, all the books in the Ukrainian language are desecrated and torn. Icons, children's crafts, drawings, letters to defenders, a corner with rural goods - looted and shot. Everything that belonged to our culture was abused. They were going to destroy us…”
– Oksana Pluzhnyk, Novopetrivska Public Library
The Municipal Institution Public Library of Balakliya City Council saw 12 libraries damaged and 3 completely destroyed. All 12,654 books held by the library prior to the war have been completely lost.
The Drobyshev Village Library’s building was completely destroyed, and nearly all of the books were lost.