Russian Strike Destroys Kyiv Printing Plant Producing 1.3 Million Schoolbooks Before New Term

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Konvi Strike Leaves 1.3 Million Schoolbooks in Limbo

Ukraine starts the new school year with textbook shortages after Russian strikes hit key publishers. Konvi planned to produce 1.3 million schoolbooks before a Russian missile destroyed its Kyiv printing plant in July.

The damage now affects September supplies as pupils return to class. Ukraine's Education Ministry says publishers are reprinting lost textbooks, with replacements due by 1 November.

Missile Attack on Konvi Cuts Schoolbook Supply

A Russian ballistic missile struck the Konvi Group plant on 19 July. The attack destroyed production halls and damaged printing and binding equipment. Konvi commercial director Viktoriia Haidai said the strike destroyed almost 250,000 finished textbooks. No employees suffered injuries in the attack.

Konvi planned to produce about 1.3 million schoolbooks for the new academic year. That volume represented roughly 10 per cent of Ukraine's schoolbook need.

Russia also hit other parts of the publishing network during the summer. A 1 August strike destroyed major book stocks at Ranok's logistics centre in Kharkiv.

Ranok later put the loss at about 10 million books. Around one million were school textbooks, according to the publisher's 28 August update. The Ukrainian Book Institute says the industry lost around 13 million books in July and August. That total includes general titles and educational books, not school textbooks alone.

Publishers Race To Replace Destroyed Textbooks

Ukraine's Education Ministry gave a separate textbook-loss figure on 24 August. It said Russian attacks had destroyed 1,206,519 school textbooks.

The ministry has started reprinting those editions. It expects replacement copies to reach schools by 1 November.

The losses mainly affect books for fourth- and ninth-grade pupils. Ukraine planned 13.5 million textbooks for the 2026–27 academic year.

By early August, schools had received 2.3 million copies. Another 3.7 million were moving through the delivery process.

Ranok spread replacement printing across six plants after the Kharkiv strike. The publisher expects schools to receive replacements by the end of October. It said the destroyed textbooks had been ordered for 12,500 schools.

Some regions face larger shortages. Mykolaiv officials said schools lacked nearly 112,000 ninth-grade textbooks before 1 September. Schools can use electronic textbooks until printed copies arrive. The digital option lets lessons continue despite delayed deliveries.

New Term Starts Under Air-Raid Warnings

Ukraine's government said about 25,000 educational institutions would start the academic year on 1 September. Officials also reviewed textbook provision before the term began. The government warned high-risk communities against large school gatherings. Local officials must consider security conditions and access to shelters.

Ukraine's Education Ministry expects 8,424 general schools to teach pupils in person. Another 1,306 will operate remotely. A further 2,211 will use mixed learning.

The new term begins during another period of heavy Russian attacks around Kyiv. Repeated drone strikes and air-raid alerts disrupted the capital region at the end of August.

A further strike on 28 August hit a warehouse near Kyiv. The site stored books from several Ukrainian publishers and retailers.

The Ukrainian Book Institute has sought support for publishers that lost stock and production capacity. It says Russian strikes have repeatedly hit printing plants, warehouses and publishing offices.

The institute says those losses have cut printing capacity before the school year. Publishers must replace destroyed stock while handling new orders. For schools, the immediate challenge is replacing missing textbooks as classes continue. Education officials say publishers are working to restore the lost print runs.

Digital editions will cover some shortages until physical books arrive. The ministry expects reprinting to continue through October and finish by 1 November.