Russian Police Raid Eksmo, Detain CEO Over LGBTQ Books

Russian police raided the headquarters of Eksmo, the country's largest publishing house, on Tuesday, detaining CEO Yevgeny Kapyev for questioning in a criminal investigation over the distribution of books featuring LGBTQ themes. The operation, which targeted allegations of extremism and propaganda aimed at minors, also involved interrogations of the company's finance director, head of distribution, and deputy commercial director, according to company spokesperson Yekaterina Kozhanova.

Authorities seized thousands of physical books during the search of the Moscow office, focusing on titles suspected of promoting same-sex relationships. The probe centers on young adult novels such as "Summer in a Pioneer Tie" and its sequel "What the Swallow Is Silent About," written by authors Elena Malisova and Katerina Silvanova, both designated as foreign agents by Russian officials. Eksmo, which acquired the imprints Popcorn Books and Individuum in recent years, had published these works through its subsidiaries. Popcorn Books originally issued "Summer in a Pioneer Tie," a 2021 bestseller depicting a queer relationship at a Soviet-era summer camp.

Following the raid, Eksmo instructed...