18 August 2026
“Following the tragedy in which Russia destroyed the warehouses of the Kharkiv-based publishing house ‘Ranok’—resulting in the loss of up to 10 million books—along with similar targeted attacks on the production facilities and warehouses of other Ukrainian publishers this year, the idea of developing digital reading is gaining increasing traction in the public discourse.
This is true. However, we must recognize that forming a new habit—even one less complex than reading—requires at least three months of daily effort. Furthermore, statistics indicate that reading is a ‘dying form’ of leisure across all age groups in Ukraine.
While for adults, reading primarily supports intellectual longevity and the development of critical thinking skills, for children and young people, it serves as the foundation for a high-quality education and the human capital essential for all sectors of the economy—most notably Ukraine’s defense-industrial complex.”
To learn more about how the ‘Educational Initiatives Foundation’ has been fostering a culture of reading among children and adults in Ukraine for many years—and to discover current charitable book projects—read the latest blog post by the Foundation’s founder, Nadiia Omelchenko, written exclusively for OSVITA.ua: https://osvita.ua/blogs/97679/