Employees who refused to censor books were fired from 'Eksmo-AST'

Employees who refused to censor books were fired from 'Eksmo-AST'.

Consensus

Employees of 'Eksmo-AST' were either dismissed or resigned after refusing to work under new censorship rules.
The changes followed the 'publishers' case' involving Popcorn Books and Individuum, which led to criminal investigations over alleged LGBT propaganda.
After this incident, 'Eksmo-AST' revised internal policies, restructured responsibilities, and significantly tightened regulations.
Books are now checked using AI based on ten criteria including mentions of 'non-traditional relationships' and promotion of drugs.
Approximately 20,000 internal expert reviews were conducted, with about 600 books sent for external review.
The checks apply not only to new publications but also to books published over the past 20 years.

Pavel Ivanov and Artem Vakhlyayev were sentenced to four years of conditional imprisonment, while Dmitry Protopopov was added to the registry of 'terrorists and extremists'. — novaya_eu
In August 2023, Denis Kotov sold 51% of Popcorn Books to 'Eksmo' group; in April 2024, the legal entity Popcorn Books was liquidated. — tg_paperpaper_ru
In April 2024, Evgeny Kapev and three other employees of 'Eksmo' were questioned by the Investigative Committee without being charged. — novaya_eu
A shadow market for banned literature has emerged in Russia, including underground sales on marketplaces, pirated print reprints, and closed online libraries. — tg_radiosvoboda
A shadow market for banned literature has emerged in Russian, involving secret resales on marketplaces, pirate paper reprints, and private online libraries. — tg_svobodnieslova