Ukraine’s national railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, has launched an initiative to support the country’s publishing industry by allowing passengers to order books while booking their train tickets and receive them directly when boarding. The initiative comes as the publishing sector faces heavy losses following attacks on warehouses and printing facilities, which have destroyed more than 10 million books in recent months and caused widespread disruption across publishing houses, bookstores and distribution networks.
The service is available on several domestic and international routes, enabling travellers to select a book as part of the booking process and have it waiting for them on their journey. The initiative is designed to make books more accessible while turning travel into an additional channel for supporting publishers. Ukrzaliznytsia has also expanded the effort through its loyalty programme, offering passengers special deals and discounts in partnership with bookstores, publishing houses and digital platforms, covering print, e-books and audiobooks and creating new ways for the industry to reach readers.
The initiative carries particular significance given the scale of the damage sustained by the sector. Around eight million books were destroyed in a single strike on a warehouse belonging to the Ranok publishing house, which also served as a distribution hub for a number of publishers and bookstores. In response, Ukrainian institutions are encouraging the public to continue buying and reading books as a direct means of supporting publishers and helping sustain the production and circulation of books despite the mounting pressures facing the country’s cultural sector.