July 17, 2024

Roskomnadzor Casts Vanishing Spell on Fanfics


Roskomnadzor Casts Vanishing Spell on Fanfics
Wonders of the internet. Wesson Wang, Wikimedia Commons.

On July 12, Roskomnadzor, the federal agency supervising communications in Russia, limited access to the largest Russian-language site for fan fiction, Ficbook. Officials said the website violated "LGBT propaganda" laws.

Fanfics are spin-off texts of famous fiction works, written by amateur writers for other fans. They are published on the internet without the approval or oversight of the publishing industry. The texts' subjects can range from erotica to famous characters' stories infused with fans' personal experiences.

The Russian fanfic platforms such as Ficbook and fanfics.me have amassed millions of passionate readers. Publishers noticed fanfics' popularity, printing works such as Yekaterina Silvanova and Yelena Malisova's "Summer in a Pioneer Tie" and selling over 220,000 copies. 

In December 2022, Russia passed a law banning "LGBT Propaganda." Ficbook announced it would create a separate page for content with same-sex relationships called Slashbook. In November 2023, the Supreme Court banned the "international public movement of LGBT people" and declared queer Russians an "extremist organization."

This year, Roskomnadzor began inspecting the internet for "LGBT content." The government organization investigated the language-learning app Duolingo in April. In May, Roskomnadzor removed the game Romance Club from the App Store and Google Play.

On July 9, Roskomnadzor ordered Ficbook's site Kniga Fanfikov (Book of Fanfics) to remove "information that promoted 'non-traditional sexual relationships.'" The federal agency said the site was moving around LGBT content to other pages instead of deleting the material. Roskomnadzor threatened to block Ficbook on the territory of the Russian Federation. On July 12, the fanfic site was not accessible in Russia.

On July 13, Ficbook launched the campaign #VerniteFicbook (Return Ficbook) on Telegram, asking readers to share videos and texts explaining why the site mattered to them. In its statement, Ficbook wrote, "Fanfiction is not just a hobby, but an important part of life and culture."

You Might Also Like

Fulbright Foreign Agents?
  • June 20, 2024

Fulbright Foreign Agents?

Now that Fulbright has been declared an "undesirable organization," what will happen with its current and former Russian researchers?
The Post that Angered a City
  • June 04, 2024

The Post that Angered a City

The wife of a Novosibirsk legislator mocked the city on Instagram, leading to questions about her lifestyle.
  • February 06, 2024

"I'm Alive" a Harrowing Escape

A gay Chechen man forced to out himself on camera vanished after the video went viral in 2022. Now, he tells his story.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955