Book weeding: Eksmo-AST tops questioned in LGBT propaganda case
The situation around the large Russian publishing house Eksmo-AST will affect the entire industry, which is already undergoing rapid restructuring, experts interviewed by Izvestia believe. On April 21, law enforcement officers interrogated four top managers of the holding, including CEO Evgeny Kapiev. The sources of the editorial office reported that the procedural actions are being carried out within the framework of a criminal case initiated under the article on the organization of the activities of an extremist organization. The investigation is related to the distribution of LGBT literature (the LGBT movement is recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation), another source clarified: security forces seized dozens of boxes of books from retail outlets and basements. What is known about this case and how it will change the work of one of the largest publishing holdings in the country is in the Izvestia article.
What happened at Eksmo
Four top managers of Eksmo-AST holding were interrogated by law enforcement agencies on April 21, Ekaterina Kozhanova, Director of Strategic Communications at the publishing group, confirmed to Izvestia.
"These are the distribution director, finance Director, CEO [Evgeny Kapyev] and Deputy Editorial Director No. 1 for commercial activities," she said.
The Eksmo-AST press service reported on its Telegram channel that the interrogations took place "as part of the investigative actions in the criminal case of extremism (distribution of books by Popcorn Books), initiated in May 2025." At the same time, "no investigative actions were carried out at the publishing house's office," the press service said.
Representatives of Eksmo-AST holding are suspected of developing a scheme to distribute prohibited literature among minors, sources in law enforcement agencies told Izvestia. A case was initiated under the article on organizing the activities of an extremist organization (Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
Security forces seize LGBT works printed in thousands of copies from various bookselling outlets and basements, where they were unloaded from Eksmo-AST warehouses for subsequent sale according to "gray" schemes, a source told Izvestia.
Among the seized works is "The King's Retinue", the third part of the trilogy "All for the Game" by American writer Nora Sakavich, which was released by Popcorn Books in 2022. According to Izvestia, the case file also includes novels with LGBT themes, which were also published by this publishing house.: "Summer in a pioneer tie" and "What the Swallow is silent about" by Elena Prokasheva (pseudonym — Elena Malisova, recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign agent) and Ekaterina Dudko (pseudonym — Katerina Silvanova, recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign agent).
In 2018, Popcorn Books and Individual Print publishers received investment support from the Irish book service and promoted products to a teenage audience, including those containing LGBT themes, a source told Izvestia.
In August 2023, Eksmo acquired a 51% stake in Popcorn Books. In November 2023, the Supreme Court recognized the international LGBT movement as an extremist organization and banned its activities in Russia. In December of the same year, Eksmo was fined 900 thousand rubles for LGBT propaganda.
In May 2025, security forces seized Popcorn Books from Eksmo in the case of LGBT propaganda. At the same time, Anatoly Norovyatkin, director of distribution at Eksmo, and about ten other people were detained as part of the criminal investigation. Norovyatkin was interrogated as a witness and released. The press service of the publishing house later stated that they had sent the partners a list of books to be withdrawn from sale.
How will the situation affect the book market
Taking into account all subsidiaries and affiliated structures of the Eksmo-AST group, the total share of the holding in the Russian book publishing market is now estimated at 30-35%, Ekaterina Kosareva, managing partner of the VMT Consult agency, told Izvestia. At the same time, for a long time, Eksmo-AST's official estimate of its market share was 25%.
— However, then there was the consolidation of assets, the strengthening of marketplace distribution and the consolidation of the portfolio. In fact, it is a quasi-monopoly market leader, since its closest competitors are noticeably inferior in terms of portfolio size, sales channels and marketing budgets," Kosareva noted.
The total volume of the Russian book market in 2025 amounted to 111 billion rubles.
The investigative actions against Eksmo employees will affect the entire Russian book industry, according to market expert Valery Shabaev.
— This situation is a big call. When they come to a small publishing house, this is one question, but when they come to one of the largest players in Russian book publishing, forming the book market, this cannot but affect everyone," he told Izvestia.
Now, every publisher who has already paid attention to labeling and compliance with all laws should pay even more attention to the content of the released works, the expert noted.
— That is, not to release books exactly, but to double—check the content, - he said. — Now all lawyers and editors are overloaded. Everyone is studying what has been released and is being released.
Obviously, work will be done with the authors of new books so as not to violate the law, and one interpretation or another could not harm book sales, Valery Shabaev added.
— But what will happen to the old ones is a big question. Books that are in libraries, for example - what to do with them? These are millions of publications. We need someone to define clear rules of the game and tell publishers what to do next," he said.
What about previously released books
The works released in the legal field several years ago may become the basis for initiating both administrative and criminal proceedings, Mikhail Pipko, lawyer of the criminal law practice of the Aronov and Partners Bar Association, confirmed to Izvestia.
"This is logical, since two fundamental legal issues intersect in this case: the tightening of legislation and the issue of retroactive force of the law," he explained. — For the investigation, it is important not only when the book was published, but also whether its distribution continued after the change in the legal regime.
According to him, the key issue of the investigation is whether the books remained in circulation after the introduction of the ban by the Supreme Court.
— The dissemination of information qualifies as a continuing act: after the ban comes into force, the publisher is obliged to stop selling the book, — said the lawyer.
It is worth recalling that in 2024, the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation recognized as constitutional the provision allowing for prosecution for the posting of extremist materials, even if they were not recognized as such at the time of publication.
The investigation, as a rule, does not check the fact of the release of books, but the continuation of their distribution after the change in the legal regime, said Albina Molodchikova, a lawyer at the Sled law firm.
— If the facts are established that the books were distributed after the recognition of such content as prohibited, this is an illegal act. Liability is possible if the book continues to be sold after the ban on its distribution," she said. — Even with the withdrawal of the print run at the moment, the investigation has the right to check the past periods.
The expert also noted that the most likely risk for publishers and employees of the book industry today is bringing to administrative responsibility under Article 6.21 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation (propaganda of non—traditional sexual relations).
— There is an increase in the total number of cases under this article, as well as an increase in the amount of the penalty imposed: for legal entities, it is usually 1-2 million rubles. In 2024, the total amount of fines amounted to 51.9 million rubles," Albina Molodchikova said. — It is highly likely that this trend will continue, including through increased control over content turnover.
By mid-2025, Russian courts had handed down more than a hundred convictions related to participation in the international LGBT movement or the demonstration of its symbols, Albert Khaleyan, partner of the Vector Prime Moscow Bar Association, told Izvestia. According to him, in the context of the application of the new legislation, the situation around Eksmo can be called indicative.
We were working on the text: Kristina Surmava, Valeria Mishina, Yvette Nevinnaya, Julia Parker, Yana Sturma
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