Directors of 'Folio' and 'Ranok' Criticize Lack of Support for the Book Industry in 'Thousand Spring' Program
The general directors of the Ukrainian publishing houses 'Folio' and 'Ranok' have voiced their concerns regarding the absence of support for the book industry within the framework of the 'Thousand Spring' program, emphasizing the critical role of books in the cultural development of the country.
Alexander Krasovitsky, the General Director of the 'Folio' publishing house, and Viktor Kruglov, the General Director of 'Ranok', have publicly criticized the lack of support for the book industry in the recently announced 'Thousand Spring' program. Both leaders believe that this initiative fails to recognize the importance of books, including audiobooks, in the cultural advancement of Ukraine.
Krasovitsky took to his Facebook page to express his disappointment, stating: "I congratulate the representatives of those creative industries that are included. Unfortunately, books have not been fortunate. Not even audiobooks. Public libraries, where Russian-language content accounts for more than 50% (across the country), have faced this issue before—no one even wants to finally acknowledge, document the figures, and consider future steps." His remarks highlight the publisher's concern over the insufficient attention given to book production in Ukraine.
In response to Krasovitsky's comments, Kruglov also expressed his dissatisfaction, noting that "unfortunately, few understand that without the publishing industry, there will be no scriptwriters." He added: "It is strange that books are constantly forgotten." These statements indicate that the book industry is crucial not only for the development of literature but also for other sectors of the creative economy.
Prior to the launch of the 'Thousand Spring' program, discussions were held in the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada on Humanitarian and Information Policy regarding the possibility of including publishing houses of printed and electronic books in the list of projects eligible for funding. However, Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture of Ukraine, Tetiana Berezhna, pointed out that the Ukrainian Book Institute (UCI) has separate budget programs to support such cultural products.
According to the 'Thousand Spring' initiative, support will be provided to projects in seven areas: feature films and series, non-fiction (documentary) films and series, animated films and series, films and series for children, contemporary music, performative arts, visual arts, audiovisual shows, and videos for social media. Unfortunately, the book industry did not make it onto this list, prompting outrage among representatives of the publishing sector.
On April 3, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine announced the start of the application process for participation in the 'Thousand Spring' program, which was previously known as '1000 Hours of Ukrainian Content.' The state budget for 2026 allocates 4 billion hryvnias for the implementation of this program. Deputy Prime Minister Tetiana Berezhna announced that this year, a maximum of 80% of this amount, which totals 3.2 billion hryvnias, will be allocated to the 'Thousand Spring' program.
Furthermore, Berezhna announced that the ministry plans to propose funding for the 'Thousand Spring' program in the state budget for 2027. In February of this year, she also announced the launch of the 'eBook' program in 2026, aimed at supporting parents of newborns, expanding the age range for young people up to 22 years, replenishing library collections in co-financing with communities, and providing subsidies for the rental of premises for bookstores.