Kyrylo Budanov showed the books he purchased at the Book Arsenal: what the Chief Intelligence Officer of Ukraine reads

This year's Book Arsenal was attended by more than 35,000 people, including high-ranking officials, including the Chief of the Main Intelligence Service of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov, who, although unable to attend in person, still added new books to his home library. Military topics are a priority for the military chief.

On Facebook, Budanov even boasted that he had received autographs from several writers. Moreover, the DIU chief emphasized the importance of reading and publishing in times of war, as an educated society is an advantage for Ukrainians over Russians.

"This weekend, Kyiv hosted the 12th International Book Arsenal Festival, which brought together thousands of people, the best authors, and the most powerful publishing houses in the country. Despite the war and the constant danger of Russian attacks, the lines of people wishing to enter the book festival stretched for hundreds of meters. Ukrainians have once again demonstrated that a nation that loves and reads books will always defeat the enemy, who is zombified by Putin's TV," Budanov summarized.

Most of the books shown by the DIU chief are by Ukrainian publicists. The entire list of purchased books can be found below:

• Andriy Kokotiukha: "Black Fox";
• Dzhokhar Dudayev: "Knight of Freedom";
• Serhiy Rudenko: "Anatomy of Hate. Putin and Ukraine";
• Oleksandr Kucheruk, Yuriy Cherchenko, Mykhailo Kovalchuk: "Yevhen Konovalets";
• Harold G. Moore, Joseph L. Galloway: "We Were Soldiers... and Young";
• Anton Sanchenko: "On the Black Sea Wave. The 33rd Century of the Dug Sea";
• Vitalii Ohienko: "The Holodomor. The History of Unconscious Trauma".

Next to the new books was the two-volume Reims Gospel, a monument of Ukraine-Rus' history.

"A nation that reads books always wins! As in all times, Russia does not stop trying to destroy Ukrainian thought: killing our writers and attacking publishing houses and printing companies. But the Ukrainian book still rises from the ashes of missile strikes, lives, develops, and continues to inspire millions of readers around the world," Budanov writes.

According to the Book Arsenal's Facebook page, the festival was attended by more than 35,000 people in total.

"This year's festival featured 100 Ukrainian publishing houses and 5 bookstores. The program included literary and professional events, events for children and teenagers, special programs from PEN Ukraine and the Fifth Kharkiv Festival," the organizers reported.

In addition to Kyrylo Budanov, former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and his wife Maryna visited the Book Arsenal. They bought books that totaled "about five bags". In total, about fifty books were sent home.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA wrote that the first lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska also appeared among the rows of various Ukrainian publishers at the festival. Among non-fiction, she bought fiction and even well-known bestsellers.

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