Book confessions: Eksmo employees may be accused of LGBT propaganda

During searches at the Eksmo publishing house, more than a thousand copies of books were seized, in which LGBT propaganda was found (the movement is recognized as extremist and banned in Russia), the Investigative Committee said. They pointed out that these publications were actively implemented, including among teenagers. A criminal case on extremism has been opened, three people are being investigated, and materials on their arrest are being prepared. The security forces had questions about Eksmo's divisions, Popcorn Books and Individuum publishing houses, which produce books in the 18+ category, Izvestia's sources say. The situation may damage the reputation of the publishing house and cause restrictions in the distribution of its products, experts believe. The defendants in the extremism case may face up to ten years in prison.

What were the Eksmo employees detained for?

From November 2023 to September 2024, employees of the Individuum publishing house (Individual Print LLC, 51% of the company belongs to Eksmo) Books with LGBT propaganda were published and sold "for selfish reasons," the Investigative Committee in Moscow reported. During this time, more than a thousand copies were sold, including to minors. The unsold books were seized during searches that took place on the evening of May 14.

Three people are involved in the case, their names have not yet been disclosed. Investigators are preparing a petition to the Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow for their arrest. "The investigation is ongoing, and the involvement of other persons in the activities of the extremist organization is being checked," the Investigative Committee said.

The day before, security forces conducted searches at the place of work and residence of about ten employees of the Eksmo publishing house. The criminal case was initiated under the article on inducing, recruiting or otherwise involving people in the activities of an extremist organization (Part 1.1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Anatoly Norovyatkin, Director of Distribution at Eksmo, was released after interrogation.

"Indeed, we have had the seizure of materials related to books published by Popcorn Books,— Eksmo said. "Law enforcement officers have presented us with an order to seize a number of books in connection with the initiation of a criminal case."

Individuum stated that "the security forces came to the addresses of several colleagues at once — not only at home, the work was spot-on."

"We don't know who will be charged or for what, who will become suspects or for what," the publisher's Telegram channel says. — We have always worked within the framework of the law, no matter what it was at one time or another. We hope that our colleagues will be released as soon as possible."

This is not the first scandal surrounding Eksmo. In December 2023, the Zelenograd District Court of Moscow had already fined the publishing house 900 thousand rubles for LGBT propaganda.

It was about the comic book "Gennady the Pigeon", a sequel to the webcomic created by the Ukrainian artist Koro (Tatiana Hlon) in 2016. The book was first published in 2018 by the St. Petersburg publishing house Comfederation, which was part of Eksmo Holding. The last print run in Russia was printed on January 21, 2022. On November 1, 2023, the Comfederation announced the termination of its work.

And in November 2024, the Tagansky Court of Moscow imposed a fine of 4 million rubles each on the Eksmo publishing house and the Pareto Print printing house, finding them guilty of distributing pornographic materials. It was about Vladimir Sorokin's novel "Legacy".

What books does Eksmo produce?

Eksmo is one of the largest Russian publishing houses, part of the Eksmo-AST publishing group. It produces fiction, non-fiction, children's books, as well as business and self-development literature. According to SPARK-Interfax, revenue by the end of 2024 amounted to more than 23 billion rubles, net profit — 2 billion.

In 2023, the publishing house acquired controlling stakes (51%) in Russian publishers Popcorn Books and Individuum. The deals became part of a strategy to expand its presence in the market of modern youth literature. Earlier, the Eksmo press service reported that the publishing portfolio will be formed based on public demand and expectations of the target audience.

Eksmo-AST Holding includes many editorial offices and imprints (sub-brands covering certain thematic areas). Each of them has their own publishing strategy.

Thus, Individuum is primarily engaged in nonfiction literature, with a very wide range ranging from research on sociology and history to memoirs. Most of the portfolio consists of translated publications. Among the high—profile novelties in recent years are Quentin Tarantino's "Once upon a Time in Hollywood" and "Film Inspections," a book by Vitalik Buterin, founder of the Etherium cryptocurrency, a reissue of Robert Garaev's "The Words of a Kid," released after the success of the TV series based on it, and three literary works by Werner Herzog.

There are also works in the Individuum catalog devoted to "adult" subjects: "There was sex. The intimate life of the Soviet Union" by Rustam Alexander, his own "Closed. The life of homosexuals in the Soviet Union" (the publishing house does not sell the 2022 book in physical form now, but its electronic version can be purchased on the American Amazon), "Flash. The Unknown history of HIV in the USSR" by Irina Roldugina and Katerina Suverina, "Sex itself. How to discuss, receive and give pleasure" by Sasha Kazantseva (recognized as a foreign agent). All such publications are marked with the age limit of 18+.

Individuum's policy has not changed after the publishing house came under the wing of Eksmo-AST. The listed books were released both before and after 2023.

Popcorn Books was formed in 2018 as a division of Individuum. It has a narrower focus. The publisher's website says: "We publish exciting fiction for young people, dealing with topics that are still considered controversial in the modern world. These are books about issues of self-identification, racism, sexism, feminism, mental health issues and many other "inconvenient" things.

They are mostly translated novels for teenagers and young adults, with kitschy hand—drawn covers and labeled 16+ or 18+. For such literature, the definition of young adult has been fixed. It was at Popcorn Books that the acclaimed "Summer at the Pioneer Camp" by Katerina Silvanova and Elena Malisova (the real names of the authors are Elena Prokasheva and Ekaterina Dudko, both recognized as foreign agents) was released, and then the sequel "What the Swallow is Silent about".

These are far from the only Popcorn Books that fall under the law banning LGBT propaganda, but they were released before the sale of a part of the Eksmo-AST publishing house and are no longer available for purchase. Currently, the Popcorn Books website says that at the moment the publisher is not accepting the manuscripts for review.

What will happen to the publishing house

The acquisition of controlling stakes in Popcorn Books and Individuum in 2023 looked like a logical step on the part of Eksmo, Yulia Zagitova, founder of the Breaking Trends communications agency and secretary of the Russian Union of Journalists, told Izvestia. These were publishing houses with an already formed loyal audience, actively working with a modern agenda, including youth and non-fiction literature.

— Now the situation has obviously changed. A criminal case, searches, and detentions are no longer just a matter of publishing policy, but a legal and reputational crisis," she said.

According to her, the risks for Eksmo are significant, since we are talking about charges related to LGBT propaganda and extremism. These include potential distribution restrictions, regulatory pressure, and reputational costs, both in the professional environment and among the readership.

— The current conflict arose not so much because of the deal itself, but because of the value context - the topics that Popcorn and Individuum work with. In 2023, Eksmo relied on diversification and freedom within the holding company. In 2025, we have to be responsible for both the legal and political consequences of this openness," Yulia Zagitova believes.

In 2023, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation recognized the international LGBT social movement and its structural divisions as an extremist organization, Ilya Drozdov, lawyer at the Moscow Bar Association Union of Lawyers, reminded Izvestia.

— Therefore, employees of the publishing house can be prosecuted precisely as members of such an organization (art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), — said the lawyer. — This will happen if their actions include participation in its activities, the dissemination of ideas and values of the organization, for example, through relevant literature.

For organizing LGBT activities, the defendants may face up to ten years in prison, and the participants up to six years, Ilya Drozdov added.

"However, at the moment, it seems most likely that employees will be held administratively responsible for promoting non—traditional sexual relations (Article 6.21 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation)," he said. — In this case, they will face a fine.

According to the statistics of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, in 2024, the courts considered more than 200 administrative cases under articles on the promotion of non-traditional sexual relations. About 150 individuals and legal entities were punished (106 in 2023).