Russian Police Raid Top Publishing House Over Alleged “Homosexual Propaganda”

Russian police have stormed the headquarters of Eksmo, the country’s largest publishing house, confiscating thousands of books amid accusations of disseminating “homosexual propaganda,” according to local media reports.

During Tuesday’s operation, authorities detained Yevgeny Kapiev, Eksmo’s chief executive, for questioning as part of what officials described as a “criminal case on extremism.” The raid specifically targeted publications allegedly “dealing with LGBT themes,” Eksmo communications director Yekaterina Kozhanova told AFP.

Several other high-ranking company executives, including the finance director, head of distribution, and deputy commercial director, were also brought in for interrogation during the sweep.

According to broadcaster Ren-TV, investigators suspect Eksmo of covertly marketing books, including novels, that promote what authorities term “gay propaganda” to Russian youth. The raid appears to be the culmination of an investigation that began last year when officials claimed to have “detected” such content in books published by Popcorn Books, an Eksmo subsidiary, leading to the arrest of several staff members.

The crackdown on Eksmo, which controls a significant portion of Russia’s publishing market, represents a dramatic escalation in the Kremlin’s enforcement of increasingly restrictive social policies. Books portraying same-sex relationships in a positive light have been banned in Russia for over a decade, but recent legislative changes have significantly tightened these restrictions.

Publishers now face requirements to remove such publications entirely and destroy whole editions if they contain depictions of same-sex relationships. The move against Eksmo signals that even Russia’s most influential cultural institutions are not exempt from the government’s ideological campaign.

This raid occurs against the backdrop of Moscow’s broader pivot toward hardline social conservatism, which has intensified dramatically since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The government’s embrace of “traditional values” has resulted in systematic persecution of LGBTQ individuals, organizations, and communities over the past decade.

The cultural sphere has been particularly affected, with films, books, art, and other cultural expressions facing severe censorship. Even works focused on celebrated figures in Russian literary history have not been spared. Biographies of renowned authors like Mikhail Bulgakov, who wrote “The Master and Margarita,” and the poet, actor, and singer Vladimir Vysotsky now require warning labels for allegedly promoting drug use.

In a significant escalation last year, Russia’s Supreme Court officially designated LGBTQ activists as “extremists” and banned all activities associated with what it termed the “international LGBTQ movement.” The ruling has provided legal backing for courts to issue fines and jail sentences to individuals displaying LGBTQ “symbols,” including clothing, jewelry, or posters featuring rainbow imagery.

The publishing industry, once a relatively protected sector in Russia’s cultural landscape, now finds itself directly in the crosshairs of this ideological campaign. Eksmo, with its extensive catalog and significant market presence, represents a high-profile target whose prosecution sends a chilling message to other cultural producers throughout the country.

According to Rainbow Europe, an organization that monitors LGBTQ rights across the continent, Russia now ranks third from bottom among 49 European countries in terms of tolerance toward LGBTQ individuals. The raid on Eksmo underscores how the enforcement of these conservative social policies has become increasingly intertwined with Russia’s broader political repression and aggressive foreign policy stance.

As authorities continue their investigation into Eksmo’s publications, the publishing industry and cultural sphere in Russia face growing uncertainty about what content might next be deemed illegal under the expanding definition of “propaganda” and “extremism.”