The Ukrainian branch of BBC News Ukraine of the British Broadcasting Corporation of the BBC has announced the winners of the BBC Book of the Year 2020 competition, which was held jointly with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The book of the year has become the novel “Yupak”, written by a former reconnissace man, the veteran of the Russo-Ukrainian war Serhii Leshchenko (his call sign Saihon).

Commenting on the Book of the Year – which was announced by Melinda Simmons, the UK Ambassador to Ukraine – BBC News Ukraine Editor and the awards jury member, Marta Shokalo, said: “The novel ‘Yupak’ by Serhii Serhiyovych Saihon is not only a personal success of a young author but also an important event for the Ukrainian society. The book speaks on behalf of a generation of Ukrainians, who are now finding their voice in literature. Growing up at the turn of the epochs, it was this generation that defined Ukraine at perhaps the most challenging time in its modern history.”