MOSCOW, April 21, 2026
Russian authorities conducted a large-scale raid on Eksmo, the country’s largest publishing house, on suspicion of distributing "homosexual propaganda" to minors, arresting its general director and seizing thousands of books.
Crackdown on LGBTQ+ Content
Security officials stormed Eksmo’s offices, confiscating novels that depict same-sex relationships in a positive light. The raid follows Moscow’s recent tightening of censorship laws, which now require publishers to remove and destroy any titles containing LGBTQ+ themes. The crackdown is part of a decade-old law banning the promotion of "non-traditional sexual relationships" to minors, which has been increasingly enforced in recent years.
Among those detained was Yevgeny Kapyev, Eksmo’s general director, along with several other managers. The publisher is accused of distributing the seized books unofficially, bypassing state-approved channels. Activists note that such measures are part of a broader campaign to suppress LGBTQ+ rights, with advocates facing persecution as extremists and potential imprisonment in labor camps.
Expanding Censorship Beyond LGBTQ+ Themes
The raid on Eksmo is not an isolated incident but part of a widening censorship effort in Russia. Authorities have also targeted works by renowned Russian authors, including Mikhail Bulgakov and Vladimir Vysotsky, over alleged promotion of drug use. Several biographies of these literary figures have been flagged for removal, signaling a broader crackdown on content deemed morally or politically unacceptable.