Russian Security Forces Raid Eksmo, Detain CEO Yevgeny Kapiev Over LGBT Propaganda

Russian security authorities moved against the country’s largest publisher, Eksmo, in a case tied to alleged “homosexual propaganda” and “LGBT propaganda.”

“In Russia, eleven employees of the Eksmo publishing group were detained and placed in custody as part of an investigation into the dissemination of 'LGBT propaganda'”

ActuaLitté

DIE WELT reported that Russian authorities were searching Eksmo “on suspicion of disseminating 'homo-propaganda' among youths,” and said that the publisher’s managing director, Jewgeni Kapjew, and other managers “have allegedly been arrested,” citing the Russian television channel Ren-TV.

ActuaLitté

Insider Paper, citing an AFP company spokesperson, said Russian police “took the head of the country’s top publishing house for questioning in a criminal case over the printing of LGBTQ books,” and identified investigators as targeting Yevgeny Kapiev, the CEO of Eksmo.

mezha.net similarly described “a series of searches at the premises of the leadership of Russia’s largest publishing house, Eksmo,” and asserted that “The publishing house’s chief executive Yevhen Kapyev is detained, REN TV asserts.”

Amnesty International said the authorities were targeting publishers, accusing them of “extremism” for “simply doing their job: providing books to readers,” and called for the detained professionals to be released immediately.

ActuaLitté added that “eleven employees of the Eksmo publishing group were detained and placed in custody,” and said the arrests were reported by TASS, including the Eksmo distribution director Anatoly Norovyatkin.

Across the accounts, the actions were framed as part of a criminal investigation into extremism and LGBT-themed publishing, with multiple outlets pointing to Ren-TV and AFP as key intermediaries for what investigators were doing and whom they were questioning.

The Eksmo case sits inside a broader tightening of Russian rules governing LGBTQ content in books and other cultural materials, according to the sources.

DIE WELT said that “This has been prohibited in Russia since a law enacted more than ten years ago,” and described a recent tightening in which “publishers therefore had to remove titles from the program and destroy entire print runs if homosexual love is also depicted in the plot.”

Amnesty International

It also connected the crackdown to persecution of activists, stating that “Activists who advocate for the rights of homosexuals face persecution as extremists and, in the worst case, imprisonment in a penal camp.”

Insider Paper described the Kremlin “hardening repressive laws against the LGBTQ community” as part of President Vladimir Putin’s “traditional values,” and said the “ultra-conservative social turn has accelerated amid the Ukraine war, with strict censorship on media and the outlawing of what Moscow calls the “LGBT movement” as “extremist”.”

Amnesty International tied the arrests to an anti-LGBTI campaign and pointed to a legal backdrop that includes the Russian Supreme Court’s “November 2023 decision to ban the

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The sources describe the investigation as focusing on alleged “extremist printed materials” and the distribution of LGBTQ-themed books, with specific details about how authorities framed the conduct.

“Russian security authorities are taking action against the country’s largest publisher”

DIE WELT

Insider Paper said investigators were targeting Yevgeny Kapiev as part of a “criminal case on extremism” over the publication of books “dealing with LGBT themes,” and it added that the publisher’s finance director, head of distribution and deputy commercial director were also taken for questioning.

It also reported that the company denied state-media reports that its headquarters was being searched, and that AFP reporters at the company’s building “saw no signs a police raid had taken place.”

mezha.net, by contrast, asserted that “law enforcement officers conducted a series of searches at the premises of the leadership of Russia’s largest publishing house, Eksmo,” and said the investigative actions were taking place “at several addresses in the case of organizing the activities of an extremist organization.”

It quoted a statement attributed to REN TV: “The operational-investigative measures may be related to the production and distribution by the publisher of extremist printed materials,” and also claimed that Eksmo executives “allegedly developed a scheme to distribute LGBT literature among minors.”

ActuaLitté provided a more concrete description of what police sought, saying: “Police officers presented a warrant for the seizure of several books, in connection with a criminal investigation into the existence of LGBT propaganda disseminated by Popcorn Books.”

Amnesty International added that the case involved alleged “involvement in the activities of an extremist organization,” “participation in the activities” of such an organization, and “organizing its work by using an official position,” citing Article 282.2-1.1, -2 and -3 of the Penal Code.

Several outlets name individuals and describe the scale of detentions and questioning, while also giving different counts and procedural milestones.

Amnesty International said that “On May 14, Russian security forces detained at least 10 people in Moscow,” and it named Anatoli Noroviatkine, “distribution director at EKSMO,” as well as Popcorn Books co-founder Dimitri Protopopov and the former head of sales, Pavel Ivanov.

Insider Paper

It added that “At least 10 people were questioned,” and said that “On May 15, three people were officially charged; their names have not yet been released,” with potential imprisonment “of up to 12 years.”

ActuaLitté reported that “eleven employees of the Eksmo publishing group were detained and placed in custody,” and said the arrests included “the Eksmo distribution director, Anatoly Norovyatkin,” while also stating that “Dmitry Protopopov and Pavel Ivanov, respectively the editorial head and the sales director of Popcorn Books, were reportedly questioned.”

mezha.net asserted that “The publishing house’s chief executive Yevhen Kapyev is detained,” and it described footage from a minibus showing people in suits, “presumably law enforcement officers.”

DIE WELT said the managing director Jewgeni Kapjew and other managers “have allegedly been arrested,” and it described confiscation of “thousands of books that the publisher had unofficially distributed.”

Insider Paper said the probe into the publishing house was opened last year when “more than 10 Eksmo staff were arrested,” after authorities said “LGBT propaganda” had been “detected” in several books published by Popcorn Books.

Reactions from rights groups and critics in the sources emphasize the legal and human impact of the crackdown, while also contesting the premise that publishing LGBTQ books is “extremism.”

“Investigators searched several Eksmo offices in Moscow amid claims of distributing extremist and LGBT literature to minors, raising questions about press freedom and market impact”

mezha.net

Amnesty International quoted Natalia Zviagina, director of Amnesty International's office in Russia, saying: “This shameless use of the state apparatus against literature is as absurd as it is frightening,” and it added: “One thing is certain: no ban, no arrest, and no prosecution can erase the existence of LGBTI people in Russia or anywhere else.”

mezha.net

It demanded that “The publishing professionals who have been detained must be released immediately, the criminal charges against them must be dropped, and the persecution of people, organizations and LGBTI initiatives in Russia must end.”

Insider Paper framed the broader political context through President Vladimir Putin’s stated drive to promote “traditional values,” and it described the crackdown as part of “strict censorship on media” and the outlawing of the “LGBT movement” as “extremist.”

DIE WELT described the penalties for “homo-propaganda” and said censorship was advancing in other areas, including claims that biographies of Michail Bulgakow and Wladimir Wyssozki must be marked because they allegedly contain advertising for drug use.

ActuaLitté described how publishers comply with homophobic laws by stamping “18+” on covers and wrapping books in plastic, and it stated that “In case of violation, individuals face imprisonment and a fine of up to €23,500 for legal entities.”

The accounts also show that the investigation is tied to specific books and authors named by Amnesty, including The Summer in a Pioneer Tie and Heartstopper, and to the claim that the works were not officially banned or categorized as “extremist.”