The victims of Russia's strike on the printing house in Kharkiv have been identified: police reveal details

On May 23, Russia attacked Kharkiv: the printing house of the Vivat book publishing house was hit. The enterprise was destroyed and people died.

As of 11 a.m. on May 24, all the victims of the attack had been identified through DNA testing. The details were provided by the head of the Investigation Department of the Kharkiv Regional Police, Serhiy Bolvinov.

"The hardest part is telling the relatives. Working with victims is one of the most important components of our work. After each enemy strike on the city, our investigators and forensic experts are immediately on the spot and are the first to communicate with those who have lost loved ones... During the night, we managed to identify all those killed in the attack on the printing house," Bolvinov said.

One of the victims, a typist, was identified using DNA samples from her 26-year-old son, who lives in Kharkiv.

Her colleague was also identified through forensic analysis: the 68-year-old mother of the deceased typist took tests for comparison.

"Criminologists call it a family search. In the same way, we identified two other workers who were in the shop at the time of the attack. One of them was a printer, the other a machine operator. Our experts worked with their daughters and confirmed the women's identities," Bolvinov said.

Another victim was identified thanks to DNA samples from her brother.

"The only man among the previously unidentified victims worked as a stacker-packer. The police found his parents in Sumy. And in the evening they took a test... In each of these cases, we are with the people. This is a heavy moral burden for our specialists, but it is for the sake of these people that they work, stay in the city, and do their job every day," Bolvinov emphasized.

Meanwhile, Radio Liberty journalists noted that the consequences of Russia's terrorist attack on the printing house will be felt by the entire Ukrainian book publishing industry. According to Serhiy Polituchyi, owner of the Factor-Druk printing plant, which is one of the largest full-cycle printing complexes in Europe and is part of the same group as Vivat Publishing House, the destruction of the printing plant in Kharkiv could reduce the total capacity of publishing in Ukraine by at least 30-40%.

"And thus, the process of printing books, including the textbooks that we printed, I don't know, probably up to 50 percent of all textbooks that were printed in the state. And so I don't know how we will do it tomorrow. And I understand that without the support of both the international community and the state, this issue will be very difficult to resolve," he said in a commentary to Radio Liberty.

The politician added that even if such assistance is provided, it will take at least several months to restore the printing house.

Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy pointed out the cynicism of the Russian attack on Kharkiv. The attack on May 23, devoid of any military meaning, shows that Russia is at war with humanity and all aspects of normal life. The brutal shelling killed seven employees of the printing house and wounded 21 people.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!