Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls on writers and publishers to document Russian “terror”.
In a speech broadcast today at the Frankfurt Book Fair, one of the world’s leading publishing events, Volodymyr Zelensky urged writers to describe the “terror” imposed by Russia. “Instead of importing culture, Russia imports death,” Ukraine’s president condemned in a speech broadcast during the event, which this year offers a close-up of Ukraine and its perpetrators. “I therefore ask you to do everything you can to let people know about the terror that Russia has brought to Ukraine,” said the Ukrainian leader, for whom “knowledge is the answer”. “Books, scripts, articles, reports, these are the answers,” he said.
A group of artists came from Ukraine despite the difficulties. The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, was herself scheduled to attend an event organized on the sidelines of the show on Saturday, October 22.
Mr. Zelenskyy himself has blamed the leniency that the Russian President in Europe said would benefit him in certain areas on a “lack of knowledge”. “We have to be honest: there are still many public figures in Europe who promote ‘understanding’ of Russia,” he said. “These people are present in different areas: politics, economy, NGOs and media. How is it possible ? The only answer is lack of knowledge. »
The five-day fair, which began on Tuesday, will be attended by 46 Ukrainian publishers, as well as numerous authors such as the famous “punk poet” Serhiy Zhadan and other literary figures. Ukrainian officials consider this type of event essential to counter Russian attempts to erase the country’s identity.
Russian state institutions normally responsible for the state of their country have been banned.