In Kyiv, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska attended the 13th International Festival “Book Arsenal.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Olena Zelenska looked through the books on display at this year's festival and talked to the publishers.
The President and First Lady purchased books by Ukrainian and foreign authors for their personal library. Among the selected titles were “The Lyrics Of Mariupol Bomb Shelters” by Oksana Stomina, “War from the Rear” by Andriy Lyubka, “From Father to Son: Conversations about the Risky Business of Parenting” by Franco Nembrini, “Kill the Tyrant. The History of Tyranny from Caesar to Gaddafi” by Aldo Andrea Cassi, “Battleground: 10 Conflicts that Explain the New Middle East” by Christopher Phillips, and others.
Additionally, as part of the “Book for the Front” initiative, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Olena Zelenska gifted two books to Ukrainian warriors. The First Lady gave “Dear Edward: A Novel” by Ann Napolitano, while the President presented “The Master of the Ship” by Yurii Yanovsky, personally signing it with the words: “Guys, take care of yourselves. I wish you victory! With great gratitude and honor.”
Thanks to this initiative, launched by the military in 2023, over 30,000 physical books and more than 10,000 QR codes for eBooks have already been sent to defenders.
Overall, this year’s “Book Arsenal” includes 100 major and 11 small publishing houses, 6 bookstores, as well as military and volunteer initiatives. The festival will run until June 1.