In Kyiv, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska attended the XIII International Festival «Book Arsenal» and engaged with publishers.
The couple purchased numerous books from both Ukrainian and international authors for their personal collection.
Among the selected titles are «Lyric from Mariupol Bomb Shelters» by Oksana Stomina, «War from the Reverse Side» by Andriy Lyubka, «From Father to Son: Conversations About the Risky Business of Parenting» by Franco Nembrini, «To Kill a Tyrant: The History of Tyrannicide from Caesar to Gaddafi» by Aldo Andrea Cassi, «Battlefield: 10 Conflicts That Explain the New Middle East» by Christopher Phillips, among others. This was reported on the official website of the President's Office.
Additionally, as part of the initiative «Books to the Front», Volodymyr and Olena Zelensky handed over two books to Ukrainian soldiers. The First Lady gifted the book «Dear Edward» by Ann Napolitano, while the President presented «The Master of the Ship» by Yuriy Yanovsky, inscribing it with: «Boys, take care of yourselves. Victory! Much gratitude and honor».
This initiative, launched by the military in 2023, has already sent over 30,000 paper books and more than 10,000 QR codes for e-books to the defenders.
This year, the «Book Arsenal» features 100 large and 11 small publishing houses, six bookstores, as well as military and volunteer initiatives. The festival will run until June 1.
«Today we visited the „Book Arsenal“, the 13th edition. It speaks volumes about the resilience of Ukrainians and the strength of our culture: despite the full-scale war, publishing continues to develop, the world hears our country, and our people are building connections with the world. This is very inspiring. We are glad that such events, such books, and those who create them exist in Ukraine. We are grateful to everyone who supports publishing in Ukraine: authors, publishers, translators who open the world to Ukrainians and Ukraine to the world through our books. Thank you to everyone who supports Ukrainian culture. This is important», — the President noted in his Facebook post.