Escaping reality: Books Ukrainian military turn to

Ukrainian soldiers choose books that engage, distract, and give them a break from the routine of war to spend time in a world that is different from reality.

“Books to the Front” is an initiative that works to provide soldiers with such and other relevant literature. Arriving at the invitation of psychological support officers, mobile groups of Cultural Forces (the cultural arm of the Armed Forces of Ukraine) always bring boxes of books. More than 47,000 books have been donated over the two years of the project’s operation.

Inside a box are books by modern and classic Ukrainian and foreign authors, bestsellers, genre literature, and titles on popular psychology, military leadership, mental resilience, and financial literacy. Poetry, comics, and manga are also sought after by the defenders. Most often, soldiers request books on Ukrainian history, psychology, and science fiction.

Cossack werewolves and Ukrainian farmers on Mars

Among the books of contemporary Ukrainian authors, soldiers choose from a variety of fictional worlds: from the alternative history of the Hetmanate to the participation of Ukrainians in the socio-political life of Mars, from Kyiv of the early 20th century, populated by evil spirits, to a post-apocalyptic future of Crimea.

Konstyantyn Valde Ulyanov, a military officer and psychological training instructor, is known as the author of “Armored Mind” (Nash Format, 2024), a psychological book popular in the military. Ulyanov also writes fiction.

“The Right of the Strong” (Biznes Lohika LLC, 2023) is a dark fantasy depicting the harsh life of wild and brutal mercenary clans, a story about strength and power and the way they shape people. “The Temple” (Biznes Lohika LLC, 2024) is an adventure fantasy set among the ruins of a vanished civilization, where the characters face the need to win the favor of a new god. “Paths of the Dead” (Biznes Lohika LLC, 2025) is Ulyanov’s newest novel, set in the universe of “The Temple” and exploring a society emerging from a great war, where many struggle to find meaning in life.

Svitlana Taratorina’s novels offer a fresh perspective on familiar places. “Lazarus” (Vivat, 2023) is a retro detective story set in Kyiv in the early 20th century, where various supernatural creatures and humans must coexist but conflicts arise. “The House of Salt” (Vivat, 2023) immerses readers in a brutal, post-apocalyptic future on a peninsula that is easily recognizable as Crimea. In this book, the ancient history of Crimea is combined with the atmosphere of “Mad Max,” but the prediction of such a terrifying future is disturbing and frightening.

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Ukrainian-writer-turned-military-officer Pavlo Derevianko has created a world of alternative history, in which the state founded by Hetman — a nobleman and military commander of Zaporizhzhia Cossacks, Bohdan Khmelnytsky — did not form an alliance with the Muscovite Tsardom, but instead retained an independent state under the name of the Ukrainian Hetmanate. “Arkan Vovkiv” (The Arcana of the Wolves) and “Teneta Viyny” (The Web of War), both originally published by The Old Lion Publishing House in 2025, are two parts of the trilogy “Litopys Siroho Ordenu” (Chronicle of the Grey Order), the final part of which, “Pisnya Dibrov” (Song of the Groves), is currently being prepared for publication by The Old Lion Publishing House. This adventure story centers on the knights of the Grey Order, Cossack warriors granted the ability to become wolves by a secret agreement between one of the most widespread folklore heroes in Ukraine, Cossack Mamay, and supernatural forces. These novels feature Ukrainian mythology, love stories, war, and political intrigue.

The novel “Children of the Fiery Age” by Kateryna Pekur and Mia Marchenko (Readberry, 2024), despite belonging to the young adult category, is widely enjoyed by adult men.

Set in Kyiv, this story depicts two overlapping realities: one of armored vehicles crawling like steel serpents through the streets in an attempt to capture the city, and the Chimeric Land, where gods, spirits, and other supernatural beings mobilize to protect their homeland.

Timeless favorite books that take you back to your childhood

Military personnel tend to reread, rather than read for the first time, books considered immortal classics of the genre. Since the average age of Ukrainian military personnel exceeds 40, it can be assumed that these people have already read the major works by J.R.R. Tolkien, Ray Bradbury, Terry Pratchett, Frank Herbert, and Robert Heinlein years ago. Sadly, they probably did it in Russian.

The position at the top of the fantasy Olympus of Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” (Astrolabia, 2013) has been somewhat shaken by the widespread popularity of “gray” characters, heroes who fall outside Tolkien’s classic “black and white” division of the world. Prominent examples of such characters are Jaime Lannister, Sandor “The Hound” Clegane, and Petyr Baelish from George R. R. Martin’s “Game of Thrones” (KM-Books, 2020). Nevertheless, the Russian-Ukrainian war, continual violations of the laws and customs of war, and executions and torture of Ukrainian prisoners by Russians have made our perception of reality “black and white” again. Evil is unmistakable, and we again seek tried-and-true ways to fight it. In addition, the creator of Middle-earth experienced the horrors of trench warfare during World War I, and thus “The Lord of the Rings” is veteran literature.

Ray Bradbury’s books, which most probably read as teenagers, are now experiencing a renaissance among military readers. Especially for those whose last reading experience was in school, Ukrainians — enduring a long fight for independence and ongoing threats to their culture and language — understand the symbolism of “burning banned books” very well. There is not much room for compromise when someone wants to kill you and steal or destroy your people’s heritage. That is why “Fahrenheit 451” (Bohdan Books, 2015) is being read and reread on the front lines.

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“Dandelion Wine” (Bohdan Books, 2015) is simply a “time machine” that can return the reader to childhood and help them recall the essence of being alive.

Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels are convenient in that they do not have to be read in series, one after another. These books act as healing elixirs, capable of lifting your spirits, restoring your ability to understand humor, and making you laugh at yourself.

Denis Villeneuve’s film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic 1965 science fiction novel that blends space opera, philosophy, and political intrigue — “Dune” (Family Leisure Club, 2017) — has raised interest in the novel.

When off duty, many military personnel maintain an interest in battles in other worlds through video games, movies, TV series, and books. One example is Robert Heinlein’s space adventure novel “Starship Troopers” (Family Leisure Club, 2025). The work of an infantryman in a combat zone is exhausting and difficult, involving constant danger to life and unavoidable anxiety, but it is worth transporting yourself into a fantasy world with your imagination, in a dynamic story about the life and death of space infantrymen.

Adventures of the Murderbot and the Witcher

A selection of science fiction popular in the military today would not be complete without a series that was recently adapted for the screen. We are talking about “The Murderbot Diaries,” a science fiction series by Martha Wells, chronicling the adventures of a security android that has hacked its own “governor” module and calls itself “Murderbot” (George, 2023) — in which a self-aware android security guard finds itself in various dangerous situations, where it often has to save people.

During the nearly thirty months of the Books to the Front project, an average of about 50 books find readers among the military every day. During this time, members of the Cultural Airborne Troops mobile groups have noticed that there is one fantasy series that flies off the shelves instantly. These are stories about the adventures of Geralt of Rivia, a witcher. It was not difficult to imagine that when Andrzej Sapkowski’s new “Witcher” book, “Crossroads of Ravens” (Family Leisure Club, 2025), was published, it caused a sensation among all fans of the series, including military personnel.

Books are not drones, of course, but culture is also a weapon.

If you are able to support the project with a donation or by spreading the word about it, do it via the link.

Thanks to you, more soldiers will receive books that will help them temporarily escape the abnormal reality of war, comfort and entertain some, and become an island of stability and comfort for others.

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This text was created as part of an intensive course in book journalism and literary criticism with the support of Chytomo, the British Council in Ukraine, and Litosvita.

Translation: Iryna Savyuk

Copy editing: Joy Tataryn

Images: Арміяinform, Cultural Forces