In a video address at the Frankfurt Book Fair, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of information and knowledge in the fight for peace and freedom.
Zelensky pointed out that "there are still plenty of public figures in Europe who are encouraging the 'understanding' of Russia," as well as tolerating terrorist policies by states like Iran.
"How can this happen?" he asked. "The only answer is a lack of knowledge."
Ignorant people are easier to manipulate, he said, adding that it is all the more important that people are informed "about the terror that Russia has brought to Ukraine."
"Knowledge is the answer," he went on. "Books, documentary scripts, articles, reports — these are the answers."
Zelensky called on authors and the book industry to write, publish and distribute books "about those who weaken Europe."
For Zelensky, Russia and Iran no longer export culture, but "only death."
"They are less present in the culture sphere and at the same time more present where everything is destroyed," the Ukrainian president said, referring to the Iran-made drones that Russia used in recent attacks on Ukraine.
Both Russia and Iran are not officially represented at the book fair this year.
The president concluded by inviting authors and publishers to come to Ukraine and bear witness to the war.
The audience in the packed exhibition hall responded to his speech with a standing ovation.
Demands of European book industry
Following the president's pre-recorded Ukrainian-language broadcast, Oleksandr Afonin, President of the Ukrainian Publishers and Booksellers Association, took the podium in Frankfurt.
He urged the creation of a culture fund to finance translations from and into Ukrainian. The money could also facilitate acquisitions for Ukrainian libraries and support Ukrainian publishers suffering from the Russian war of aggression, he said.
Afonin suggested the German Publishers and Booksellers Association and the European Publishers Association as possible founders of such a fund.
The Ukrainian publisher and writer also criticized Russian publishing houses, saying not a single one has condemned the war or expressed support for Ukraine.
Strong Ukrainian representation at the Frankfurt Book Fair
Ukrainian book publishers and literary institutions are in the spotlight at this year's book fair.
Forty-six Ukrainian publishers are presenting their catalog, and many authors will be contributing to the fair's discussions and events.
"What we need are heavy weapons and good books," Ukrainian author Yuri Andrukhovych told DW right after his president's video address at the publishing event.
Andrukhovych is one of the most important representatives of Ukrainian literature. His novels, including "The Moscoviad," "Perversion" and "Recreations," have been widely translated. In turn, he has translated many classics into Ukrainian, among them Shakespeare and Rilke. For his efforts to advance relations between Ukraine and the European Union, he has been awarded several prestigious prizes in Germany, including the Goethe Medal and the Hannah Arendt Prize.
In addition to Andrukhovych, several other renowned Ukrainian personalities will appear at the fair, which runs until October 23.
Most prominently, Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska, who was recently featured on the cover of Vogue magazine, will come to Frankfurt in person on October 22. She will take part in a discussion with Brigitte Huber, the editor-in-chief of the German women's magazine Brigitte, about mental health and psychological assistance for war survivors.
