Russian strikes destroy 1.2 million Ukrainian school textbooks

August 31, 2026 at 10:51 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Russian strikes on Ukrainian warehouses on July 19 and August 1 destroyed 1.2 million school textbooks, about 9.5 percent of this year's print run. The damage is estimated at 150 million hryvnias. The shortage will affect fourth and ninth grade students, with ninth graders facing the greatest disruption under the new curriculum.

Key Facts

Russian strikes on July 19 and August 1 destroyed 1.2 million textbooks, about 9.5% of the 2026 print run.
The estimated financial damage is 150 million hryvnias.
The shortage affects fourth and ninth grade students, who were scheduled to receive new textbooks by October 1 and September 1 respectively.
Over 70% of textbooks are already in schools, with another 20% in transit, according to Yevhen Bazhenkov of the Institute for Modernization of Education Content.
Reprints of destroyed textbooks are planned for delivery by October 1 for ninth grade and November 1 for fourth grade.

Extent of Destruction

Publishers printed textbooks on time but could not deliver them after Russian strikes hit warehouses on July 19 and August 1. The attacks destroyed 1.2 million textbooks, approximately 9.5% of the total print run for 2026. Financial damage is estimated at 150 million hryvnias. Affected subjects include foreign languages such as English and German, Ukrainian language, history of Ukraine, and law. Some titles lost 50% to 100% of their print runs.

Impact on Students

The shortage affects fourth and ninth grade students, the two cohorts scheduled to receive new textbooks this year. Fourth graders can use textbooks from five years ago, but ninth graders are studying under the new Ukrainian school curriculum for the first time, making older books unsuitable. Education Minister Andriy Butenko said no child is without a textbook, as older editions remain available. Alternative textbooks by other authors exist for most subjects, so not all students in a grade will be affected.

Delivery and Reprints

Ninth graders were scheduled to receive textbooks by September 1 and fourth graders by October 1. Printing capacity is about 1.5 million textbooks per month, with printing ongoing since April. Over 70% of textbooks are already in schools and about 20% are in transit, according to Yevhen Bazhenkov. Bazhenkov estimates delivery for ninth grade at over 90% by September 1. Reprints of destroyed textbooks are planned for delivery by October 1 for ninth grade and November 1 for fourth grade.