Ukraine plans to ban many Russian-language books as part of a war on propaganda, but the new law has divided both literary fans and booksellers alike.
“We must not confuse Russian fascism with Russian culture,” said Olexander Drobin, a bookseller at the giant Petrivka Book Market in the capital, Kyiv.
“They made this law, but no one knows how to apply it. Shall we take these books, pile them in the street and burn them?”
Anatoly Gounko, another bookseller at the market whose merchandise is almost entirely in Ukrainian, said the law was “necessary”.
However, he said that even he “finds it a bit harsh to say that you should speak Ukrainian and not Russian”.
“Why should Russian only belong to Russia? Three hundred million people around the world speak Russian.”
Ukraine’s parliament on June 19 passed several bills aimed at “protecting culture from Russian propaganda”.
The new laws will come into force as soon as they are signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
They ban all books, regardless of author, published in Russia and Belarus, Moscow’s close ally in the war against Ukraine.
Anyone who breaks the law faces a fine.
The use of Russian music composed after 1991 on television and in public places is also prohibited.
But enforcing the laws could be difficult.
Books printed in Russian but published in Ukraine or countries other than Russia and Belarus would theoretically still be allowed – as long as they were originally written in Russian and the author is not considered “anti-Ukraine”.
Great classics of Russian literature such as works by Pushkin and Tolstoy would also be spared.
– ‘Focus on defending the country’ –
Four months after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, the new texts strengthen the legislative arsenal built up in recent years to “decommunize” and “de-Russify” the former Soviet republic and promote the Ukrainian language.
But Drobin is not convinced.
“These (latest) laws go too far. Some people probably wanted to show that they are true patriots, but that’s not the way to go.
“Half of the population speaks Russian, and Russian culture is important. There are many good things in Russian history,” he said.
He said the government should “focus on defending the country”.
“To quote the Romans: ‘The law may be harsh, but still right,'” he said.
Nadia, a bookseller who declined to give her last name, also defended the new laws.
“When the war started, people started reading books in Ukrainian. We have many excellent writers,” she said.
“It (the ban) is more likely to affect people selling recently published books,” she said.
– ‘Dead to me’ –
Book lovers also seem divided.
“There are more pressing issues. This is infantile,” sniffed Natasha Sikorska, a customer at the market.
“I don’t agree at all with banning Russian literature. It’s not Russian propaganda. It’s history. It’s education,” she said.
Her boyfriend, who declined to be identified, disagreed.
“I read a lot of Russian literature. I liked her then and I like her now. But honestly, as of February 24, she’s dead to me,” she said.
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