December 17, 2024

"Too Pro-War" Library Closes


"Too Pro-War" Library Closes
Books in Russian about politics. Flbpub, Wikimedia Commons.

On December 14, a St. Petersburg bookshop known for hosting pro-war "correspondents" and critics of the Kremlin's handling of its invasion of Ukraine announced on Telegram that it would close its doors "indefinitely." The owners said the reason for their closing was that "the end of the world is near."

St. Petersburg's Listva (Foliage) was a hotspot for pro-war journalists, authors, and Donbas separatists, often hosting talks. In July 2023, police evacuated the bookstore right before the former self-proclaimed "People's Governor" of Donbas and pro-war activist Igor Strelkov (the alias of Igor Girkin) was scheduled to speak. After Strelkov was arrested for his criticism of Russia's "lack of full commitment" in its war on Ukraine, his wife, Miroslava Reginskaya, held meetings with his allies at Listva.

The bookstore also feuded with other shops and libraries in the city. In 2019, Vse Svobodny (All are Free), another St. Petersburg bookshop, launched a map of independent libraries. Listva was included in the list but accidentally disappeared. Its owners took to Telegram to confront Vse Svobodny, asking its representatives to say who they believed owned Crimea.

Listva posted, "As experienced scribes, we know the secrets of ancient prophecies and have the right to say: the end of the wolrd is near." The bookshop said they would be "the first to leave this world" amidst the planet falling in the hands of an "unknown but unyielding power." The statement added that part of Listva's team would go to a "nuclear-proof bunker" in occupied Donetsk, while the others would go into seclusion.

Listva is owned by Chertnaya Sotnya (The Black Hundred), a publishing house popular with the far right that supports the war in Ukraine. The store is owned by Dmitry Bastrakov, whose revenue was three million rubles ($29,021) in 2021. 

The bookstore announced an "end of the world" sale, offering a 20 percent discount on all merchandise. Listva will close on January 1, 2025.

You Might Also Like

Vanished Land
  • November 07, 2024

Vanished Land

A Russian island in the Arctic disappeared from satellite images.
A Pro-War Childhood?
  • October 31, 2024

A Pro-War Childhood?

Russian children are being instilled with militant patriotism through plays, stories, cartoons, and toys.
Facing Up
  • March 26, 2024

Facing Up

"Faces of the Russian Resistance" is a traveling art project that humanizes dissent in Russia.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
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.  
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
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.
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.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
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. 

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