Investment company BGV Group Management offered space at Pecherskyi Market on August 21 to Kyiv book vendors whose stalls were destroyed in a Russian missile strike.
Under the proposal, rent for affected entrepreneurs will cost one hryvnia until the end of November 2026. Merchants will only pay for utility services actually consumed and operational expenses associated with the retail space.
The company is offering up to 500 square metres of commercial space at Pecherskyi Market to help sellers who lost their business locations. Retail rows at the famous book market near the Pochaina metro station burned down following a Russian ballistic attack on August 16, 2026.
Relocation offer and market history
BGV Group Management stated that the Pochaina book market had served as an important location for Kyiv residents for nearly 30 years as a place to purchase fiction, professional literature, school textbooks, stationery and other goods for study.
The investment firm noted that the initiative is intended to help business owners resume trading as quickly as possible while preserving the community of buyers and sellers built at Pochaina over decades. BGV Group Management, which is owned by Ukrainian businessman Hennadiy Butkevych, acquired Pecherskyi Market in March 2026 and is currently conducting an audit of the site while developing a future development concept.
Russian strikes on Ukrainian publishers
The strike on Pochaina follows widespread Russian shelling this summer that destroyed millions of books across Ukrainian cities, including children's school textbooks. Culture Minister Tetiana Berezhna reported that Russian attacks during July alone destroyed more than 1.5 million books.
On July 27, Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi instructed government officials to prepare a state support mechanism for the book publishing sector after heavy losses caused by Russian strikes. Days later, an August 1 Russian attack hit the logistics center of publishing house Ranok and the distribution center of the KnyhoLand bookstore chain, destroying eight million books. Following that attack, publishing corporation RNK-Ranok cut employee salaries.
