Book Censorship in Contemporary Russia
This project aims to document the timeline of state pressure on the book industry in contemporary Russia. Pre-publication censorship involving official approval of manuscripts has not been openly practised in post-Soviet Russia. Nonetheless, the state has crafted other mechanisms to exert post-publication censorship. The most prominent among these is the adoption of repressive laws, such as the anti-LGBT legislation or the law prohibiting the dissemination of "false information about the conduct of the USSR during World War II," both of which can be applied to books and publishers. Although the use of these mechanisms remained relatively mild until recently, this appears to have changed significantly beginning in 2025.
What Counts as Book Censorship?
Russia has employed a range of strategies to silence dissenting voices in the public sphere, from assigning a foreign agent status to jailing opposition figures and journalists. However, this study will specifically focus on efforts to control the content and circulation of books. Therefore, persecution of writers for statements made outside their written works, such as the arrest in absentia of the writer Boris Akunin for publicly condemning the war in Ukraine, will not be included here.
How Does it Work?
The website records instances of book censorship and state pressure on the book industry in Russia in reverse chronological order. Each entry includes the date of an incident, provides a brief description of what happened, and cites media sources or, more rarely, word of mouth. All instances are classified into three major groups: those involving books, booksellers, and publishers. Cross-references between entries help follow the development of events.
The names of publishers and bookstores are transliterated and, when meaningful, translations are reported in parentheses. Titles of books originally published in other languages are given in English, unless no English translation exists.
If you would like to suggest an update or report an event, please reach out to orwell-in-moscow@proton.me.
Further Links
In recent years, multiple initiatives have been launched to study literary censorship and support the freedom of expression in Russia and beyond. Below are some of these initiatives.
Tamizdat Project
Freedom Letters
StraightForward Foundation