Russia: Legal action against publishers of LGBT books
The disposal of books and publishers being arrested: What is known about the case of “LGBT extremism” in Eksmo
15.05.2025
Article published on the zona.media website
In 2021, the independent publisher Popcorn Books released a novel about gay teenagers called Summer in a Pioneer Tie. The book was a phenomenal success, selling around 500,000 copies.
As a result, the emerging publisher Popcorn Books was bought by the largest player on the Russian book market, namely the Eksmo publishing group. However, soon after the agreement was signed, the political landscape changed dramatically The Supreme Court labelled the international LGBT movement “extremist” and banned it in Russia.
Publishing houses and bookshops are now being searched, with the Federation’s Investigative Committee planning to request the arrest of those who “for selfish reasons have published and sold books that promote the activities of the LGBT movement”.
On 14 May, employees of Moscow book publishing houses were searched under a new law on so-called “LGBT extremism”, with a TASS source reporting that Anatoly Norovyatkin, Eksmo’s Distribution Director, and another ten people had been detained. Norovyatkin was released the next day after questioning, said TASS, quoting from a statement issued by Eksmo’s press office.
The book giant has always denied that its employees are involved in any “extremist” activity and stated through a State agency that the law enforcement authorities’ allegations related to titles handled by another publisher, Popcorn Books.
In 2021, Popcorn published a novel by Elena Malisova and Katerina Silvanova Summer in a Pioneer Tie, the story about a relationship between a teenager, Yura, and a camp counsellor, Volodya. The book was a tremendous success, with sales exceeding 250,000 copies, which by the end of 2022, was ranked second in the Russian Book Union’s list of bestsellers.
The novel’s storyline was guaranteed to cause outrage among Russian officials. Roskomnadzor demanded that book sales be limited, Duma deputies called for fines to be imposed for publishing such literature, one of whom, Alexander Khinshtein, complained bitterly to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which resulted in an administrative case being brought against the publishing house.
Despite this, in August 2023, Eksmo announced its purchase of Popcorn Books and, a little later, of another closely related publisher Individuum, which specialises in non-fiction.
Just two months after the deal was concluded and following a lawsuit brought by the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court declared “the international LGBT movement” an extremist organisation and banned it in Russia.
So far, none of the titles published by Popcorn Books has been added to the list of “extremist material”. There is no direct mention of LGBT+ issues on the publisher’s Telegram channel whose content is labelled 18+.
Most Popcorn Books are aimed at a young adult audience – romantic fantasy or fanfics (fan fiction), stories about growing up and teenage experiences written in an easy and relaxed style.
The publisher StraightForward, whose founder Felix Sandalov used to work for Individuum as editor-in-chief, has written that the law enforcement authorities’ interest stems from the “publication of books that depict a reality the security services find unacceptable”. StraightForward has stressed that “the books were released before the new legislation was introduced and have not been distributed since the censorship restrictions came into effect”.
Speaking on its Telegram channel the Individuum publishing house insisted that they have always operated within “whatever laws were in place at any given time”. These sentiments were echoed almost word-for-word by Popcorn Books. “We have always abided by whatever law was in force at the time, so we are shocked at the latest and unjust measures being taken by the authorities”.
The human rights group Department One has published a list of books that are mentioned in the criminal case, all of which came out between 2019 and 2022, i.e. before the introduction of the law on the “extremist LGBT community”. According to human rights activists, the criminal investigation aims to prove that the books were sold in bookshops after the legislation was adopted and that the accused were therefore involved in the activities of an “extremist organisation” using their official position.
Maksim Olenichev, a lawyer with Department One, is familiar with the prosecution’s case, which states: “Unidentified persons”, i.e. employees of publishing houses, were aware of the LGBT movement’s designation as extremist, and were intent on selling the remaining stock in order to make a profit. Having bought and read these books they are deemed to be involved in the work of an “extremist organisation”, which has implicated at least eight women as a result.
However, Olenichev explained that having queer books at home is not a criminal offence and that Russian courts have not ruled that LGBT-themed literature is extremist in nature.
According to Department One, the books referred to in the publishers’ case are:
- What the Swallow is Silent About by Elena Malisova and Katerina Silvanova, 2021 – a sequel to Summer in a Pioneer Tie, in which the characters meet again years later.
- Windows to the Courtyard by Makita Franko, 2022. The hero lives in a five-storey building and thinks a lot about growing up and sexuality.
- A Notebook in a Cell by Makita Franko, 2020. A collection of prose texts about adolescent experiences, particularly love and sexuality.
- Heartstopper by Alice Osmen, 2019. A novel about a high school friendship and a crush that one boy has on another.
- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz, 2019. The story of two Latino teenagers coming of age, touching on issues of ethnic identity and sexuality.
- Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram, 2022. An American-Iranian teen suffering from depression travels to Iran to visit relatives and meets a like-minded friend.
- The King’s Retinue by Nora Sakavich, 2021. A sports romance that has a gay storyline.
- Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli, 2021. The story of a bisexual girl graduating from high school.
- Love Creekwood by Becky Albertalli, 2021. The story of a high school student who falls in love with a young male pen friend living on the other side of the country.
After the accused were arrested, bookshops across Russia received a list of books to be destroyed from Eksmo. “We strongly urge you to get rid of the books on site, or return the unsold stock to us with your next shipment”, said the publishers, as reported by the publication Parni Plus. Forty-eight titles are on the list, one of which is published by Individuum (i.e. Red Closet: The Hidden History of Gay Oppression in the USSR by Rustam Alexander) and the rest by Popcorn Books.
The Telegram channel VChK OGPU claims that three publishing house employees have already been charged: Sales Director Pavel Ivanov, Warehouse Manager Artem Vakhlyaev and Executive Director Dmitry Protopopov. The Telegram channel also mentions an accountant Inessa Nurtdinova who, like Norovyatkin, “has been released for the time being”.
