Russia Arrests Publishers, Accuses Them of Distributing ‘LGBT Propaganda’

On May 14, Eksmo, Russia's largest publisher—accounting for approximately 20% of the market—sent a letter to "all interested organizations," which included booksellers and other partners of the publisher, with a list of 50 titles to be "disposed of on site or returned if unsold." The letter, PW has learned, was intended as a preemptive self-censorship move to shield the publishing house's bookselling partners and others from a government crackdown that came came a day later, resulting in the arrest of eleven current and former employees of Eksmo. All were interrogated, and three have been accused of disseminating "LGBT propaganda"—a criminal act under Russian law. The three accused remain under house arrest.

The majority of the employees work or worked for Popcorn Books, a publishing house best known for publishing queer and YA fiction that Eksmo acquired 51% ownership of in August 2023. The list of books circulated by Eksmo included mostly titles with LGBTQ+ themes, the majority of which were published by Popcorn, including Summer in a Pioneer Tie by Kateryna Sylvanova and Elena Malisova, a YA gay romance novel published in Russia in 2021; What the Swallow Is Silent About, also by Sylvanova and Malisova; Heartstopper by Alice Oseman; Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz; and The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic, among others.

Popcorn first drew scrutiny from Russian authorities after Sylvanova and Malisova's Summer in a Pioneer Tie became a TikTok sensation in 2021, prompting the publisher to print more than 200,000 copies. The book's success drew international attention, prompting one of the largest-ever crackdowns on LGBTQ representation in Russia and ultimately leading to its president, Vladimir Putin, signing into law a bill against "LGBT propaganda" in December 2022. The authors subsequently fled Russia, and have since been added to Russia's list of "foreign agents"—a designation that restricts their activities and subjects them to government monitoring.

On June 3, Abrams will publish an English-language edition of Summer in a Pioneer Tie, trans. by Anne O. Fisher, in the United States under the title Pioneer Summer. "From the moment we first encountered this heartfelt novel, we knew it was something special," the publisher said in a statement following the arrests. "This sweet and poignant story of first love beautifully represents the diverse and vibrant voices of the LGBTQ community. We believe stories like Pioneer Summer are essential, and we are honored to help bring them into the world."

The arrests represent part of an escalating suppression of LGBTQ+ rights in Russia that has grown increasingly severe since the 2022 law took effect. In November 2023, Russia's Supreme Court banned what it termed the "international LGBT public movement" as extremist, enabling persecution of individuals associated with LGBTQ+ identities under "anti-extremism" legislation. Since the ban took effect in January 2024, Russian authorities have initiated at least 12 criminal cases, conducted raids on LGBTQ+ venues, issued administrative fines and imposed short-term detentions for displaying rainbow-themed symbols, and forced closure of LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, according to Amnesty International.

Prior to the labeling of the "international LGBT public movement" as an extremist group, violations of Russia's anti-LGBTQ+ law prompted the imposition of fines, not arrests. A statement issued by Russian Writer's Union on May 16 confirmed this and said that the union is seeking further clarification on the situation. Meanwhile, international publishing organizations have condemned the arrests.

"These arrests demonstrate the risks publishers now face in Russia. We stand with our arrested colleagues and urge the authorities to drop any charges," said Kristenn Einarsson, chair of the International Publishers Association's Freedom to Publish Committee, in a statement released last week. "Russian readers are richer with a broad range of books, which is best secured through the real freedom to publish."

Gvantsa Jobava, president of the International Publishers Association, added: "The development of LGBTQ laws in Russia and in other countries, like Georgia and Bulgaria, clearly represent a limit on the freedom to publish, and publishers should be attentive to the development of any similar laws in their countries and actively resist."

The situation in Russia concerning publishers of LGBTQ+ books remains uncertain, as there is no apparent reason why the books, or their publishers, would be targeted now, years after publication. At present, no books have been seized from the publisher's warehouses—a move sources suggest is likely forthcoming. There are reports of some 1,000 individual books having been seized elsewhere in the country, though those reports remain unconfirmed.