Libraries Destroyed by the War: Losses and Prospects

Abstract

The article highlights the reasons and intentions for the destruction of public, children’s and school libraries by Russian occupiers. Since the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine began, the entire library system of the country suffered, but the enemy caused the greatest damage to the libraries of the regions where hostilities took place and the occupation is still ongoing. The Kremlin allocated 360 million rubles (114 million UAH) for the destruction of libraries in the occupied territories of Ukraine. In the summer of 2023, the press service of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine reported that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in Ukraine, 1,582 objects of cultural infrastructure, including 598 libraries, had been destroyed or damaged. However, this number is not final. Part of the Ukrainian territories are still under temporary occupation, which complicates the calculation. The purpose of the article is to analyze the state and prospects of library institutions in the liberated territories, to identify problematic issues. Reports from official sources, mass media, expert assessments of directors and employees of library institutions, journalists, public activists, and volunteers were used to study this topical issue. The Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly emphasized that such actions of the Russian occupiers violate the articles of the Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. In addition, the actions of the Russians contradict Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which qualifies them as a war crime. Ukraine appealed to the UN Commission to investigate human rights violations during Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine and demands that these facts of war crimes and violations be taken into account. During active hostilities, unfortunately, the development of libraries is not a priority of state policy. In 2024, given the state budget, it is not necessary to count on the allocation of funds. However, government institutions, the public, and library workers themselves must focus their efforts on digitizing and documenting all crimes committed by Russia. This is a chance to receive reparations in the future for the damage caused and to try to prove the cultural genocide committed by the Russians. The article emphasizes the need and importance of a nationwide effort to restore the work of destroyed institutions.

Keywords

• libraries, cultural genocide, rome statute, temporarily occupied territories, de-occupation.