July 09, 2026

How to Get a Banned Book


How to Get a Banned Book
A bookstore can be a dangerous place. The Russian Life files.

The independent publication Verstka has discovered that banned books are being secretly sold on Russian marketplaces. The titles of the books are not mentioned in the announcements; instead, there are codes, puzzles, and hints that lead potential buyers toward their book of choice.

The censorship measures that began in 2022 with the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine have continued to expand. Access is restricted to books by authors designated as "foreign agents,” books mentioning narcotic substances, and books that freely interpret historical events. But the most dangerous is LGBT literature. The distribution of such books is punishable by enormous fines and criminal charges.

And so, a shadow market for banned publications has formed. For example, on the main Russian private buying and selling service “Avito,” you can find ads like “a book about the USSR and pioneers.” Instead of a photo of the product, the images show pioneer uniforms; a man pressing his finger to his lips, and a swallow. This is a code for the novel “Summer in a Pioneer Tie” and its sequel “What the Swallow Is Silent About.” This is Russia's most talked-about LGBT-story, dedicated to the relationship between a pioneer leader and a boy, which led to the initiation of the “publishers' case.” Verstka has found hundreds of similar ads – according to their authors, the demand for the book is very high.

Other books are sold the same way. For example, an ad showing hearts in the colors of the British flag and the emoji of a king refers to the book "Red, White & Royal Blue" by Casey McQuiston – a romance about the relationship between the son of the American president and the heir to the British throne.

There are other ways to distribute banned books. While the ads on Avito sell official editions published before the ban, the project "Library" sells reprints. These are illegal copies that are printed underground – essentially, modern-day "samizdat."

As for the legendary "tamizdat," its revival began even earlier. The first emigrant publishing houses, which put out books that were risky to publish in Russia, appeared shortly after the war began, and today there are more than a dozen such initiatives. Recently, several of these projects have joined forces to create an electronic online library. Those who are in Russia will be able to read the latest tamizdat releases free of charge.

Today, access to banned literature in Russia is much easier than during the Soviet era. Moreover, it is mainly the sellers (if they are inside the country) who are at risk, while buyers and readers hardly take any. In Soviet times, one could be arrested simply for having the “wrong” book in their home, but that is not the case in modern Russia. Yet...

 

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