Millions of books were destroyed in a fire that gutted one of Russia's largest libraries over the weekend, the head of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladimir Fortov, told state television channel Rossia-24.
A short circuit is believed to have started the fire on Friday evening at the Institute for Scientific Information on Social Sciences in southwest Moscow, state news agencies reported. It took firefighters about 25 hours to extinguish the blaze.
Some 15 percent of the library's 15 million books were destroyed either by the fire or the water used to extinguish the blaze, Fortov told Rossia-24 on Saturday. Other state news reports said the library held about 10 million books.
The library's archive of rare books, including medieval Slavic texts, is believed to have survived the blaze unharmed, the institute's director Yury Pivovarov was cited by state media as saying. No one has been reported injured in the fire.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
