Despite statements by some politicians and a number of media outlets, there are no problems with the publication of Russian-language books in Ukraine, and the works of writers Mikhail Bulgakov and Boris Akunin can be purchased in the center of Kyiv. This was emphasized by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his vlog.
"I could tell you in detail that according to the Book Chamber, The Master and Margarita was published 39 times in Ukraine, including last year. That this novel is in the school curriculum. That 14 permits have been issued for the import of The Master and Margarita,” the Head of State said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that only one publishing house, in accordance with Ukrainian law, was denied the right to import copies of The Master and Margarita.
"Not because of Bulgakov, but because of the preface, which lists the figures who supported the annexation of Crimea. In short, the news of Bulgakov ban in Ukraine is, as Professor Preobrazhensky would say, a space-scale delusion,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.
According to the Head of State, books published in Russian can be freely purchased in the very center of Kyiv. However, some media, MPs and experts, ignoring this fact, mislead society.
"I will quote another writer, the Russian oppositionist Boris Akunin: "The worst evil is the one pretending to be good". In my opinion, it is very suitable for the abovementioned comrades, the abovementioned media. By the way, they lied in the same way that Ukraine banned Akunin's books,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.