Russia to Grant State Censorship Power to Book Expert Center

Russian authorities are developing a law to grant the Expert Center under the Russian Book Union the official status of state book censorship, enabling it to conduct legally binding government reviews of books. Currently, its assessments are advisory and not mandatory for courts or law enforcement.

Consensus

• The Expert Center under the Russian Book Union (RKS) is being considered for official state censorship authority.
• The center currently provides advisory assessments of books, which are not legally binding.
• The center was established in 2023, reportedly at the direction of Vladimir Putin.
• The center conducts reviews at the request of government bodies, which are free, while publishers and digital platforms must pay for evaluations.
• The center includes representatives from Roskomnadzor, the Russian Historical Society, the Russian Military-Historical Society, the Russian Orthodox Church, and other state-aligned organizations.
• Publishers have removed books from sale based on the center's recommendations, including works by Vladimir Sorokin, Michael Cunningham, and Hanayo Yanagihara.
• The Ministry of Digital Development (Mintsifry) is drafting a law to formalize the center’s new powers.
• The center has conducted around 100 expert reviews by June 2026.

Points of divergence

• The center was created in 2024, not 2023. — tg_paperpaper_ru
• The center was created in 2023 and has already stopped sales of books by authors including Hanayo Yanagihara and Michael Cunningham. — tg_govorit_nemoskva
• The center was created in 2023 at the direction of Vladimir Putin as a mechanism for 'self-regulation' of the book industry. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
• The head of one RKS committee, Svetlana Zorina, said the new status would create 'clear rules for all participants in the book market'. — tg_paperpaper_ru
• The center has already stopped sales of books based on its recommendations, including works by Hanayo Yanagihara. — tg_govorit_nemoskva
• The center was created at the direction of Vladimir Putin to serve as a self-regulation mechanism. — tg_moscowtimes_ru

Coverage (3 sources)

• Authorities want to grant the center assessing the 'legality' of books powers for state expertise — 'Kommersant' — Бумага
• Official censorship body plans to create Mincifry — Говорит НеМосква
• Authorities plan to create a single center for book censorship — The Moscow Times

Key entities

• Commerzant
• RKS
• Expert Center
• Ministry of Digital Development, Ministry of Digital Development
• Ministry of Digital Development of Vladimir Grigoriev
• Ministry of Digital Development
• Roskomnadzor
• Authorities
• Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media
• Russian Historical and Military-Historical Society