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In the past, people bought books thinking they might become more valuable over time. Now, they buy them because those books might burn. This summer, Russia was apparently searching for NATO bases and biolabs in publishing warehouses and printing facilities. In less than three months, the aggressor state destroyed around 10 million Ukrainian books. The biggest blow came on August 1, when a logistics center belonging to the RNK-Ranok publishing corporation in Kharkiv was destroyed by fire. Print runs from several publishers, as well as books from the KnyhоLand bookstore chain, were lost in the blaze.
But Ukrainian publishers are not giving up. They are rebuilding print runs, looking for new printing facilities, and continuing to publish books. And they need support. So I have put together a selection of publishers whose warehouses or logistics centers were affected by Russian attacks. I encourage you to take a look at their books, which are available at physical bookstores and through partner websites, or consider placing a pre-order.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
ReadBerry
ReadBerry is part of the RNK-Ranok group of companies, and its books were destroyed in the attack on the logistics center in Kharkiv. The publisher has an absolutely enormous selection of books to suit every taste. And this year, it also added a new “branch” to its lineup: 18+ books, which feature a chili pepper on the spine instead of ReadBerry’s usual berry.
ReadBerry books are works of art in their own right: striking covers, sprayed edges, and ribbon bookmarks. They also offer a wide range of genres. For example, there are mysteries such as Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (which I mentioned in this roundup), as well as Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s The Naturals thriller series about a group of gifted teenagers who help the FBI solve crimes. There are currently four books in the series, but an English-language novella, The Naturals #4.5, is also available, while the fifth installment is expected this year.
If you are in the mood for fantasy, there are several options. First, there are eight books by Ukrainian authors currently available for pre-order. Personally, I’m particularly interested in Hunters of Urban Legends: Losers and Shadows by Olha Mihel, because she wrote the excellent duology Otherworldly Vacancy, and The City of Ghostly Bridges by Natalia Kondratenko, because I collect her Navpakyiv series.
Second, there are several great series by Mara Wolf. Third, there are some fascinating fairy-tale retellings by Marissa Meyer, including the upcoming Fairest, about the main villain of those retellings. There is also Lynette Noni’s The Prison Healer and Lauren Roberts’s Powerless.
For fans of classic literature, there is the First Time publishing series. Three books have already been released, with a fourth, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, currently available for pre-order.
And if you are looking for something steamy and spicy, the selection here is particularly impressive (did I already mention the books with the little chili pepper?). There are sports romances, bully romances, dark romances, and contemporary romance.
Zhorzh
As a result of the attack on the RNK-Ranok warehouse, the Zhorzh publishing house lost around 400,000 books. According to a post on its Instagram page, the losses exceeded the publisher’s annual sales volume. Without readers’ support, recovering from this will be extremely difficult. So the principle here is the same: pre-order books or buy copies from bookstores or the publisher’s partner websites.
So, what does the publisher have to offer? First of all, Zhorzh publishes Rebecca Kuang. Her works include the excellent The Poppy War trilogy about Rin, an orphan who defies the system and everyone’s expectations by enrolling in a military academy; Babel: An Arcane History, which won the Locus and Nebula Awards; Yellowface; and, of course, Katabasis, about the study of magic and a journey to Hell. Second, Zhorzh publishes a lot of mysteries, including books by Steven Spotswood and A. K. Turner.
Third, Zhorzh has a strong selection of science fiction and fantasy. For example, there is Martha Wells’s The Murderbot Diaries and The Books of the Raksura, Volodymyr Yeshkiliev’s Farengo duology (the second book is currently available for pre-order), and Markus Orts’s Alpha & Omega: Apocalypse for Beginners. Also currently available for pre-order is the first book in Naomi Novik’s Scholomance trilogy, A Deadly Education, about “a school for the magically gifted where the slightest mistake means death.” There is also the delightful Necrovet fantasy series by Polish author Joanna W. Gajzler, about a veterinary clinic that treats magical and mythical creatures. Two books have already been released, while the third is currently available for pre-order.
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By the way, the author supports Ukraine and donated her royalties from sales of Necrovet to the publisher. You might also want to take a look at Kateryna Pekur’s science fiction/dystopian Song of the Breezes. It is a duology: the first volume was published last year, while the second is currently available for pre-order.
One More Page
The One More Page publishing house aims to create books that are distinctive, unusual, unexpected, and appealing. Unfortunately, around 100,000 of these books were destroyed in the Russian strike on the RNK-Ranok warehouse. The print runs of several new releases were significantly reduced, including Klaus Mann’s Mephisto, about a theater actor and the price of fame; Hisham Matar’s My Friends, about the Arab Spring and political exile; and Carson McCullers’s The Member of the Wedding, about a 12-year-old girl who decides to join her brother and his fiancée on their honeymoon.
The publisher’s catalog also includes plenty of classics, including some rather unusual choices. There are philosophical novels, nonfiction, historical and intellectual works, as well as coming-of-age stories. There is Ukrainian classic literature, such as Valerian Pidmohylnyi’s A Little Drama and Ivan Franko’s collection The Wings of the Soyka. And there is contemporary Ukrainian literature as well. I absolutely adore Yuliia Nahorniuk’s books and recommend them to anyone who enjoys ironic fantasy. They are such a delightful treat – I can’t even put it into words!
And if you haven’t decided on a book yet but remember that books make the best gifts, the publisher has created a UAH 500 ($11) support certificate. ‘1 certificate = 1 book of your choice from our publishing house’, with delivery anywhere in Ukraine at our expense,” the description says. The certificate is already available for purchase on the One More Page website, but it can be redeemed from November 1, 2026, through November 1, 2027.
Korali Books
Korali Books is another publisher from the group that lost print runs in the warehouse in Kharkiv. It is also a newcomer to the Ukrainian book market – the publishing house was officially presented at the “Book Country” festival in April 2026. Korali Books operates under the slogan “A World of Women’s Stories” and publishes books in which women choose themselves. Despite being a young publisher, its catalog already includes romance novels, cozy family stories, witty and classic mysteries, historical fiction, and books about female strength and magic.
I haven’t read anything from Korali Books yet, but The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick caught my attention. I love books about books and book lovers. Fans of mysteries might enjoy the books by Polish author Małgorzata Starosta. And when you are in the mood for something cozy, you could try Carrie Fisher’s The Italian Escape trilogy. It is no coincidence that the publisher’s Instagram bio says, “We’re your lit retreat.”
Fabula
Fabula is another publishing house that was affected by a Russian strike in August. One of the best ways to support it is to buy its e-books. The publisher is offering 20% off e-books on its website through August 31. Second, Fabula offers electronic gift cards starting at UAH 200 ($4.5). If you are not sure which book to give to family or friends, a gift card is an ideal solution. Third, take a look at the pre-orders. For example, there is Mick Herron’s Slough House series of British spy novels, Serhii Postolovsky’s spy thriller Operation “Mary”, about the global “gray” arms market, and Null by Polish writer Szczepan Twardoch, a novel about war.
In terms of genres, Fabula has a diverse catalog: mysteries, historical fiction, humor, science fiction, and fantasy. The publisher is also very active in nonfiction, including business books in the #PROBusiness series, self-development books in the #PROMe series, and popular science titles in the #PROScience series. There is also the Contemporary Ukrainian Prose series, which includes Polina Kulakova’s social thriller All Their Demons, Olena Kuzmina’s dystopian novel Project “Labyrinth”, Yuliia Romaniuk’s fantasy Tanhelm, and Forbidden: The Life and Struggle of Vasyl Stus.
Most of the print run of The Crimson Cut, a new collection of chilling stories about death by Ukrainian authors, was destroyed in the warehouse fire. However, some copies apparently made it to bookstores, so genre fans should keep an eye out for it if they happen to come across a copy. Fabula also publishes Ray Bradbury’s classic dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 in graphic novel form. A rather grim coincidence given the subject of this entire selection.
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Knigolove
The publishing house was first affected by a Russian attack on July 19, when around 250,000 books were destroyed in the Knigolove warehouse. Then came another strike on August 1. Following the attack on the RNK-Ranok warehouse, the publisher lost books worth more than UAH 650,000 ($14,500). If you would like to support Knigolove, its website has a dedicated section with a wide selection of e-books (many of them available at significant discounts), as well as gift certificates.
It is also worth checking out the pre-order section. Right now, you can pre-order at a discount C. J. Skuse’s thriller Sweetpea, George Sand’s social and psychological novel The Black City, or Emily Edwards’s debut novel The Herd, whose key themes include friendship and… vaccination. The publisher is also preparing new print runs of Edith Eger’s memoir The Ballerina of Auschwitz, Alice Feeney’s thriller Rock Paper Scissors, and Hwang Bo-reum’s cozy novel Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop, about a successful woman who burns out at work and finally fulfills her longtime dream of opening a bookstore.
Knigolove also publishes books by the hugely popular Fredrik Backman, including Anxious People, the Beartown trilogy, and, of course, A Man Called Ove (I read it on a train, and I’m pretty sure half the carriage could hear me either crying my eyes out or laughing like an idiot). Knigolove also has the Golden Shelf series, featuring timeless classics from both international and Ukrainian literature.
BookChef
In early July, Russia destroyed the central warehouse of BookChef’s logistics partner. The publisher lost 800,000 books in the attack. Then, in early August, its backup warehouse was destroyed as well, along with another 100,000 books. As a result, the publisher is revising the estimated fulfillment dates for pre-orders, looking for new production capacity, and preparing reprints of some titles. And BookChef’s catalog is impressive: fantasy, romance novels ranging from mildly steamy to decidedly spicy, mysteries, nonfiction, motivational and popular science books, as well as children’s literature.
I’m not going to recommend any dark romance, because it is definitely an acquired taste (although When the Light Goes Out is pretty fun – it’s almost like a dark rom-com). The publisher does have plenty of fantasy, including romantic fantasy. For example, there is Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Blood and Ash series (I mentioned it in this roundup), Tracy Wolff’s Crave series (vampires, werewolves, witches, and a very Twilight-esque vibe, except these characters have, you know, leveled up and earned a degree), and its spin-off, Calder Academy. The first book, Sweet Nightmare, is currently available for pre-order. And, of course, BookChef is also publishing a BookTok hit: Kelly Hart’s Fairies and Alchemy series.
If you’re looking for something a little scarier, there is Kerri Maniscalco’s Stalking Jack the Ripper series. You might also want to check out Kaim McDonnell’s witty detective fantasy This Strange Times, in which a newspaper editorial team writes about supernatural phenomena that nobody believes in – until they suddenly become real. And if you’ve already rolled your eyes at the fact that I keep recommending something from the “lower shelf,” just wait. The publisher also has a Classics of World Literature series, with a rather distinctive design.
Varvar Publishing
Varvar Publishing also lost part of its print runs at the group’s warehouse in Kharkiv during the August 1 attack. The publisher reported losing more than 300,000 books, comics, manga, and manhwa.
Varvar produces lavish editions, such as David Day’s The Illustrated World of Tolkien, a two-volume edition of At the Mountains of Madness by master of horror H. P. Lovecraft, as well as his The Shadow over Innsmouth and The Call of Cthulhu. The catalog also includes French science fiction writer René Barjavel’s dystopian novel Ashes, Ashes in bande dessinée form (I was today years old when I learned that term), as well as Gerald Brom’s dark fantasy novel Slewfoot.
These books are all rated 16+ and even 18+, but there are, of course, comics and manga for younger readers as well. For ages 12+, there are Marvel series such as Marvels: Episodes and Spider-Verse, as well as Star Wars and Transformers. There are also comics rated 8+, such as Scurry, Lightfall, and Rocket and Groot.
Nebo Art Publishing
Just a few days ago, it was reported that Nebo Art Publishing also lost nearly 500 copies in the fire at the KnyhoLand warehouse. Nebo’s books are large-format, striking editions, often featuring fold-out maps – in short, the kind of books that look impressive on a shelf. My favorites include Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City series, Joe Abercrombie’s Shattered Sea trilogy (The Devils is still on my to-read list), Redgryn Lebowski’s Silence trilogy (she’s a Ukrainian author, by the way), and Jay Kristoff’s The Nevernight Chronicle trilogy. There was quite a bit of controversy over the translation, but in my opinion, it is absolutely gorgeous – 1,000,000/10.
The publisher has plenty of fantasy, including Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes quartet, Glen Cook’s cult dark fantasy The Black Company, Annette Marie’s Asian-inspired fantasy Red Winter, and Maggie Stiefvater’s paranormal fantasy The Raven Cycle. This year also saw the release of the first book in Ukrainian author Valeriia Vesta’s duology, Deia and All Her Curses – an adventure story drawing on Ukrainian mythology and demonology. And, of course, there are the classics: The Phantom of the Opera, Pride and Prejudice, and The Woman in White. Currently available for pre-order is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.
Honorable Mention: Rozum Board Game Publisher
Books are wonderful, but board games are pretty great too. After all, they make perfect gifts for holidays, celebrations, and birthdays. Rozum has been publishing board games in Ukraine for eight years. Unfortunately, in early August, a missile completely destroyed its main warehouse, along with more than 200,000 board games, including CATAN, the delightful Exploding Kittens, The Quacks of Quedlinburg, Stranger Things, and many others.
The publisher needs support, so think about whether you have a get-together with friends or a celebration coming up. Because a board game can make a great companion to a book – which, as we all know, is the best gift of all – and some games may still be available at stores in your city. If you are reading this from abroad (just in case) and would really like to support these publishers without buying books, their social media pages include bank details for donations. Let’s help our publishers get through these difficult times, recover, and print tens of millions of new copies. Good ones – and even better ones.
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