Friday 23 May marked a terrible anniversary when, in 2024, Russian missiles attacked the Faktor-Druk printing house in Kharkiv, Ukraine, killing seven people and injuring many others. Kharkiv is Ukraine’s second largest city and a major publishing centre. The building sustained heavy damage and most books being worked on at the time were destroyed.
With the help of the Ukrainian Institute in Kyiv and with the blessing of the publisher, Vivat, ICOM UK was able to save two fire- and water-damaged books which have been donated to institutions in the UK: Cambridge University Library and the Imperial War Museum.
It has been an honour for ICOM UK to facilitate these gifts which will act as a testament to all those who lose their lives in the fight to preserve memory and culture. We recognise that the destruction of cultural heritage is a fact of global wars. We also understand that the protection of cultural heritage is not a one-off project but an ongoing commitment and, as such, it is a central theme in ICOM UK’s Strategic Plan for 2025-30.
Mel Bach, Slavonic Specialist and Head of Collections and Academic Liaison at Cambridge University Library said, ‘Having the damaged book now in our collections is a hugely moving and important addition for our readers, especially students, to see with their own eyes something of the real impact of the war. I am hugely grateful to all involved in this donation and its care’.
You can read more about the book donated to Cambridge University Library in the Languages Across Borders blog, here.
