Ukrainian writer Andrey Kurkov, publisher Victor Kruglov and Book Arsenal director Yuliya Kozlovets receive state honors

Ukrainian writer Andrey Kurkov and Victor Kruglov, general director of the Kharkiv-based Ranok Publishing House, have been awarded the Order of Merit, Third Class. Yuliya Kozlovets, director of the International Book Arsenal Festival, has received the honorary title of Honored Worker of Culture of Ukraine.

The honors were conferred under Presidential Decree No. 755/2026, signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Aug. 21 to mark the 35th anniversary of the restoration of Ukraine’s Independence. The decree recognizes Ukrainians for significant contributions to strengthening Ukrainian statehood, courage and dedication in defending Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, contributions to different spheres of public life, the protection of national interests, and the conscientious performance of professional duties. 

Other cultural figures recognized under the decree include artist Anatolii Kryvolap, musicologist and pianist Anatolii Kalenychenko, musician Oleh Repetskyi, and DakhaBrakha member Marko Halanevych. Kryvolap received the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, Fifth Class; Kalenychenko and Repetskyi received the Order of Merit, Second Class; and Halanevych received the Order of Merit, Third Class. 

Kurkov’s 2018 novel “Grey Bees,” which depicts life during the war in eastern Ukraine, received France’s Prix Médicis for best foreign work in 2022. The novel later won the National Book Critics Circle’s Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize. 

Kozlovets received the Chytomo Award in the Ukrainian Book Ambassador category for 2025. She was recognized for establishing lasting institutional ties between Ukraine and foreign partners, attracting international support for Ukraine’s book industry, and launching impactful formats to promote Ukrainian culture. The award jury also highlighted her role in developing the International Book Arsenal Festival into a key professional platform for cooperation among publishers, translators, authors, and cultural institutions.

Ranok is one of Ukraine’s largest publishers of educational and children’s literature. Founded in Kharkiv in 1997, the publisher produces books in Ukrainian, Romanian, Kazakh, German, Chinese, and English. It is a member of the European Educational Publishers Association and Ukraine’s sole representative in the organization. As reported earlier, Kruglov was named a finalist in the national round of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2026 competition. 

Ranok has been repeatedly affected by Russian attacks in 2026. A Russian attack overnight on May 13–14 damaged one of the publisher’s logistics centers, while another attack on Kyiv on May 24 damaged Ranok’s office. As reported earlier, Russian forces struck warehouses belonging to the Ranok publishing group in Kharkiv on Aug. 1. Nearly 8 million copies representing 28,800 titles from Ranok and other Ukrainian publishers were destroyed, including about 600,000 school textbooks being prepared for shipment to schools. Including the Aug. 1 attack, Russian strikes destroyed more than one-third of Ukraine’s average annual book output over the summer.

Main image: Andy Hall/The Observer