US philanthropist to fund the restoration of Kharkiv's printing house, destroyed by Russia

The Howard G. Buffett Foundation will finance the restoration of Kharkiv-based Faktor Druk printing house, destroyed in a Russian missile attack, Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on May 31.

Russian troops struck the printing house on May 23, killing seven people and injuring 21. The attack destroyed over 50,000 books and printing equipment. The Faktor group of companies includes publishing house Vivat — Ukraine’s third largest printing house.

U.S. philanthropist Howard Buffett has already contacted Serhii Polituchyi, the Faktor Druk printing plant owner, to look for the necessary equipment and will help pay for it, Svyrydenko said.

According to Svyrydenko, Ukrainian publishing and printing houses can also receive a grant of up to Hr 8 million ($197,000) from the government, but this sum is not enough to restore Faktor Druk.

"So we turned to a good friend of Ukraine, U.S. philanthropist Howard Buffett. And he generously agreed to restore Faktor Druk at his own expense," the minister said at the International Book Arsenal Festival in Kyiv.

The Russian attack will significantly impact Ukraine's book publishing industry, reducing its overall capacity by 30-40%, Polituchyi told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). Under favorable conditions, the printing house is expected to be restored in four or five months, he said.

What will Russia’s attack on Kharkiv printing house mean for Ukraine’s publishing industry?

The aftermath of Russia’s May 23 attack on Kharkiv’s Faktor Druk printing house shocked Ukrainians: mountains of charred Ukrainian books covered its blackened floor. The strike had destroyed over a quarter of the company’s warehouse. The 4,000 square meter building is owned by the Faktor group

The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell