Zelensky, Putin opponents to address Frankfurt book fair, world’s biggest publishing event
- Ukraine’s leader and his wife are due to address the fair, as is Leonid Volkov, a leading ally of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny
- Director Juergen Boos said the event aims to ‘support our Ukrainian colleagues as they withstand the Russian attack’
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky will address this week’s Frankfurt book fair, with organisers offering emphatic support to the country’s literary scene in the wake of Russia’s invasion.
Ukrainian authors led by “punk poet” Sergiy Zhadan will feature prominently at the world’s biggest publishing event.
Zelensky will make his speech on Thursday via video link at the five-day annual fair, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors from around the world and hundreds of exhibitors.
His wife, Olena Zelenska, is also due to speak at a side event.
Russian state institutions usually in charge of running their nation’s stand have been banned, with prominent opponents of President Vladimir Putin instead given the stage.
The fair’s director Juergen Boos said the event aimed to “offer direct support to our Ukrainian colleagues now as they withstand the Russian attack”.