Massive Fire Hits Treasured Moscow Library · Global Voices
Darya Vakulenko

Screen capture from video of the fire at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences library. January 30, 2015. YouTube.
A fire at one of Moscow's largest libraries raged for 27 hours this past weekend, destroying over a million books. The blaze began in the evening on Friday, January 30, and wasn't fully extinguished until just before midnight the next day. The site of the fire was the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences, known by its acronym “INION.”
According to radio station Echo of Moscow, a large portion of INION's total collection, including rare Slavic texts dating back to the 16th century, is no more.
On Twitter, some joked that a massive “book burning” suits Russia's political climate, which critics sometimes compare to the totalitarian states of the 20th century:
СИМВОЛИЧНО для самой “читающей” страны в мире \\Горит библиотека Академии наук России pic.twitter.com/ZbcxDeCrLv
— Саша_Северный (@Aleks_SPb) January 31, 2015
This is SYMBOLIC for a country that says it “reads” more than any other in the world. The Russian Academy of Sciences’ library is ablaze.
В Москве горит библиотека, чтобы не жечь книги в открытую, кремлевские фашисты решили имитировать пожар.
— Серый Кардинал (@slevo4kin) January 30, 2015
There's a library burning in Moscow. Kremlin-fascists decided to start a fire, so they don't have to burn the books in the open.
Another common joke involved allusions to the war in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists are widely suspected of benefiting from military aid and assistance sent by Moscow:
По предварительным данным, библиотека ИНИОН в Москве сгорела после обстрела артиллерией ВСУ pic.twitter.com/dV1qRlKM1v
— Тролль-каратель (@trollgnet) January 31, 2015
According to preliminary data, the Moscow library caught fire after a Ukrainian artillery strike.
Others on Twitter quip that the destruction of so much reading material—thought by many to represent the antidote to excessive television consumption and the “brainwashing” that accompanies it—might drive even more people to their TV sets:
В Москве горит библиотека Российской академии наук. 13,5 млн книг. Ну значит ещё больше телевизор будут смотреть pic.twitter.com/KBGa9IPG95
— РБ головного мозга (@belamova) January 30, 2015
The Russian Academy of Sciences’ library is on fire in Moscow. 13.5 million books. Well, I guess even more people will just watch television now.
Emergency workers were also active online, sharing photographs from the scene of the disaster, even while firefighters continued to battle the flames:
Внутри здания библиотеки ИНИОН сегодня. Фото сотрудника МЧС. pic.twitter.com/xjrcTYMxrA
— Открытая Россия (@openrussia_org) January 31, 2015
Inside the INION library today. Photos by emergency workers.
For those nostalgic for the days of Communism, the potential loss of historical archives was painful to consider:
Интересная #версия пожара в библиотеке #Москва.#библиотека #пожар #без_дна pic.twitter.com/R6riusSm9x
— tat_lis (@tat_lis) January 31, 2015
Here's an interesting take on the library fire. #Moscow #library #fire #NoEndInSight:
Though the fire was during a weekend, many remained glued to social media, likely demonstrating the great social significance for Russians of reading in general and this library in particular.
According to the latest reports, the blaze is believed to have destroyed 14.2 million written works—as much as 20 percent of INION's total collection. That's. Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire, but early evidence suggests faulty electrical wiring in the building.