Publishers Weekly and the Millions are offering the literary community ongoing coverage of the war in the Ukraine. Publishers Weekly is looking at the impact on the publishing and literary community, while the Millions is offering first-hand, on-the-ground reportage from its correspondent in Ukraine. We will continue to update this page regularly. Please feel free to email international editor Ed Nawotka at ENawotka@publishersweekly.com if you have information or a charity to share.

Fundraising and Charity

In the weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine, the international publishing community has come together with a number of initiatives aimed at offering support to authors, publishers, and aid organizations. For those interested in helping, there are a number of ways to get involved. The Federation of European Publishers, for instance, is raising money for the Ukrainian Publishers Association to help print books for the millions of refugee Ukrainian children and families now spread throughout Europe. You can donate online here.

Irbis Comics, one of Ukraine's top comics and graphic novel publisher for young readers, is raising money online to stay in business.

The Impact on Publishing

A majority of book-related activities in Ukraine have shut down, and many companies are looking to restart work from abroad, including in Poland and elsewhere. Many authors and publishing professionals have also joined the fight against Russia. In solidarity, most international book fairs and events have suspended relations with Russian publishing companies and institutions affiliated with the state.

Dispatches from Ukraine

Millions staff writer Il’ja Rákoš and his family lived, until recently in Kyiv, Ukraine. What follows are his writings on, and written during, the ongoing Russian invasion—many of them Facebook posts written from a bomb shelter, reposted with his permission and the assistance of his friend Mark Slouka.

This piece was last updated on May 16, 2022.