UKRAINE, June 25 — The U.S. government announced that it will provide Ukrainian elementary school students with up to 3.2 million copies of textbooks, said U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

The government decided this after the Russians destroyed the Kharkiv printing house Factor-Drunk on May 23, one of the largest printing houses in Europe.

Russian attacks on the Kharkiv oblast have intensified since the start of their new offensive on the north of the region. While the number of missile strikes on the city reduced after the Ukrainian army destroyed S-300/S-400 air defense systems in Belgorod Oblast, glide bombs, launched from jets over the border, still reach Kharkiv.

“On May 23, 2024, a Russian strike destroyed the Faktur-Druk printing house in Kharkiv, one of the largest printing houses in Europe. This is part of Russia’s ongoing destruction of printing houses in Kharkiv and elsewhere in Ukraine. Kharkiv’s printing houses produce a significant percentage of all books in Ukraine, including textbooks for Ukrainian children. By striking these printing houses, Russia is attacking Ukraine’s education system,” the White House reported.

All textbooks for Ukrainian elementary school students will be printed by the beginning of the new school year, Sullivan’s statement said. 

These textbooks will be produced in Ukraine and delivered to more than 12,000 schools across the country.

On May 23, the Russians destroyed the Kharkiv printing house Factor-Drunk, one of the largest printing houses in Europe. Seven employees were killed in a missile strike, and 21 people were injured. The Russian attack burned 50,000 books by Ukrainian and foreign authors. 

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