Oleksandra Koval

Oleksandra Andriivna Koval (; born 20 October 1957) is a Ukrainian public figure and publisher who serve as the president of the Ukrainian Book Institute since 2018. She is also a member of PEN Ukraine.

Early life and education Koval was born on 20 October 1957 in Lviv. She graduated in 1979 from the Ukrainian National Forestry University with a degree in forestry.

Career From 1980 to 1989, Koval worked in a research department and was also a co-founder of the cooperative Aeros from 1986 to 1989, which specialised in developing aerostatics equipment for advertising and meteorological purposes. She served as deputy editor-in-chief of the Phoenix publishing house from 1990 to 1992, and then as director of the Taras Shevchenko Ukrainian Language Society Prosvita publishing house in Lviv from 1992 to 1997. Since 1995, she has headed the Lviv-based NGO Publishers' Forum. She also founded the Ukrainian Association of Publishers and Booksellers in 1995, and the Ukrainian Reading Association in 2010. Later, on 10 October 2018, she officially assumed the role of acting director of the Ukrainian Book Institute, following her appointment by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. She had secured the position through a competitive selection process held in July 2018, emerging as the successful candidate among six contenders chosen by an expert committee.

Political positions 2018 FIFA World Cup boycott Koval was one of the signatories of an international appeal urging world leaders to boycott the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The appeal condemned Russia's ongoing human rights abuses, including the imprisonment of Ukrainian political prisoners such as filmmaker Oleh Sentsov. Koval joined dozens of prominent writers, activists, and intellectuals in calling for solidarity with the prisoners and pressuring Russia to release them.

Ukrainian publishing Koval advocates for cultural independence from Russia and strong state support for Ukrainian publishing. As director of the Ukrainian Book Institute, she has promoted local book production, supported reading initiatives, and helped expand Ukraine's presence at international book fairs. In 2023, she highlighted the growth of Ukrainian publishing and the rise in translated works. She also backed a national reading strategy and announced a major state programme to provide free books to adults in 2024, reinforcing her commitment to national identity through literature.

Awards and honours On 7 May 2009, during the final stage of the 3rd Forum of Publishers – Children festival, Koval was awarded the honorary medal "Great Friend of Little Readers" in recognition of her contributions. Vasyl Stus Prize (2016)