Individuum Publishing House Closes After Legal Crackdown
Individuum Publishing House is closing after 11 years since its founding — following the 'case of book publishers' and its merger with 'Eksmo'. Books that the team worked on in the last few months will now be published by other publishing houses.
Consensus
- Individuum ceased operations in 2026.
- The closure was announced by its chief editor, Alexey Kiselev.
- Books in progress at the time of closure will be published by other publishers.
- Individuum was founded in 2015.
- The company specialized in non-fiction, literary non-fiction, and translated works.
- The publisher was acquired by 'Eksmo' in 2023.
- The closure followed legal proceedings related to the publication of LGBTQ+-themed literature.
- Several employees of Individuum and its subsidiary Popcorn Books were arrested and prosecuted.
- Popcorn Books was closed in January 2026.
- The International LGBTQ+ Movement was declared extremist and banned in Russia.
Points of divergence
- No reasons for closure were given by the chief editor. — tg_doxajournal
- The closure was described as a natural part of the development of a large publishing house. — kommerant
- The chief editor did not name the cause but said the closure was 'sudden but not unexpected'. — meduza
- The closure followed a criminal investigation involving over ten employees of Eksmo, Popcorn Books, and Individuum. — thebell
- The former director Dmitry Protopopov and two employees were sentenced to four years of conditional imprisonment in August 2026. — tg_svobodnieslova
- In May 2025, the executive director of Individuum, Dmitry Protopopov, was placed under house arrest. — tg_tass_agency
- Individuum published over 100 books, including translations from 10 languages. — fontanka
- The legal entity 'Individuum Print' ceased operations in December 2024 and was merged into 'Eksmo'. — tg_theinsider
Coverage (20 sources)
- Individuum Publishing House is closing. What to read from its catalog — DOXA
- «Exsmo» explained the reason for closing the publishing house Individuum — Коммерсантъ
- Publisher Individuum closed. In 11 years of its existence it published many important books — from 'To All Iran' to 'Tabia 32'. Here are ten of our favorites — Meduza
- Individuum Publishing announced closure after criminal prosecution — The Bell
- Individuum Publishing House Announces Closure. Earlier Its Employees Were Convicted in Case on Sale of 'LGBT Literature' — Вёрстка
- Publisher Individuum ceased operations, said its editor-in-chief Alexey Kiselev on social networks. Reasons for closure not specified... — ТАСС (Telegram)
- Individuum Publishing announced its closure. It published 'Word of the Guy', Tarantino, and Asimov — Фонтанка
- Publisher Individuum closes after 11 years since founding — following the 'book publishers case' and joining 'Eksmo… — The Insider
- Russian publishing house Individuum announces closure — BBC News Русская служба
- Russian publishing house Individuum ceases operations after 11 years of existence — Радио Свобода
- Individuum Publishing House announced closure; its employees were tried on a case of an extremist organization for publishing LGBT literature — Медиазона
- Individuum Publishing House is closing — Бумага
- Individuum Publishing House Announces Closure — Говорит НеМосква
- Publisher Individuum closed. The chief editor of the publisher, Alexey Kiselev, announced this today. — Republic
- Individuum Publishing House closed — ЭХО / Новости
- Individuum Publishing House closed after criminal prosecution of its employees due to censorship — Важные истории
- Publisher Individuum announced cessation of operations — Настоящее Время
- Individuum Publishing House announced its closure — Новая газета Европа
- Publisher Individuum announced closure — Ведомости
- Individuum Publishing House is closing — SOTAvision
Key entities
- Individuum
- Alexey Kiselev
- Eksmo
- Individuum Publishing House
- Telegram channel
- LGBT literature
- Book Publishing House
- Moscow
- U
- Russia
- Quentin Tarantino
- Pavel Ivanov