Russia is once again witnessing a grotesque witch-hunt - this time against publishing houses that dared depict reality in a form the Putin regime finds intolerable. The events currently unfolding in Moscow terrifyingly mirror the absurd world that has repeatedly threatened to emerge under Donald Trump in the United States. This grim commonality reflects the tragic brotherhood of two rulers who equally despise literature, freedom, and human rights.
For the first time, Russia has initiated criminal proceedings against publishers under the so-called "LGBT extremism" law. The targets are Eksmo, Popcorn Books, and Individuum - companies that until recently did nothing more than publish books depicting the lives, loves, and struggles of queer people. This unprecedented case sends shivers far beyond the country's borders.
The absurdity of the charges is staggering: publishing employees are accused of distributing "extremist" literature, although the books in question were published long before the new censorship laws came into effect. These are harmless works, novels about first love, friendship, and identity discovery, such as Summer in a Pioneer Tie, Heartstopper, and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. Yet, in the paranoid world of Russian security services, these stories are enough to label their authors as enemies of the state.
Victims of this absurd persecution include not just senior executives, but ordinary employees whose only crime was to store and distribute books. Dmitry Protopopov, Pavel Ivanov, and Artyom Vakhlyaev are under house arrest, facing severe prison sentences - simply for doing their jobs. It’s a chilling warning to all publishers and booksellers: conform or face prison.
The publishers have reacted with shock and disbelief at the allegations. "We have always complied with the law, no matter how it was framed," they state, words that could easily come from booksellers in Florida or Texas suffering under Trump’s ideologically charged censorship. The brutal consequence of this intimidation is evident in Eksmo’s panic-driven request to destroy 50 affected titles immediately - among them bestsellers loved by hundreds of thousands of readers.
Lawyers like Maksim Olenichev view the case as a deliberate strategy to intimidate the entire industry and erase queer literature distribution in Russia. The indictment even fabricates an "international LGBT movement," which does not actually exist, yet has nonetheless been banned as extremist by Russian courts. A fictional threat, constructed solely to justify real repression.
What is happening in Russia sounds eerily familiar: it echoes the censorship and prohibition fantasies that have repeatedly emerged threateningly under Trump as well. Like Putin, Trump exploits hatred and paranoia to conduct politics, invent enemies, and silence dissenters.
Though thousands of miles apart, these two men, Trump and Putin, share a common spirit: a shared disdain for everything symbolizing freedom, diversity, and humanity. It’s a sick, oppressive world where books burn, truths are silenced, queer love is criminalized, and the mere existence of minorities is considered a crime.
Thus, this Russian case symbolizes not just itself but also the growing international threat posed by autocrats like Putin and Trump - brothers in spirit, friends in hatred, united in their contempt for a world that celebrates diversity and freedom. It is high time to loudly and clearly resist, before their dystopian vision becomes reality.
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