Russian censors alter streaming series and ban books under expanded restrictions
Russian streaming service Amediateka cut over 75 hours of footage as censorship expands to literature and school curricula across the country.
Russian online streaming platform Amediateka has removed over 75 hours of footage across roughly 200 foreign television series to comply with domestic censorship laws, according to an investigation by Mediazona covered by The Insider. Editors excised more than 7,300 scenes depicting forbidden themes, including LGBT content, drug use, suicide, and incest, occasionally obscuring key plot lines.
Concurrently, independent outlet Verstka reported that a Russian court officially banned the romance novel Heated Rivalry for violating prohibitions on promoting non-traditional sexual relationships.
In addition, NEXTA reported that new educational materials distributed in Novosibirsk schools frame military sacrifice as a solemn civic duty while criticizing Western values and non-traditional relationships.
Sources: Mediazona, NEXTA, The Insider, Verstka.
Sources
- Verstka — Суд запретил в России книгу «Жаркое соперничество», по которой снят одноимённый сериал о любви двух хоккеистов
- NEXTA — Пропаганда в российских школах готовит учеников к смерти
- Mediazona — 75 часов цензуры
- The Insider — Почти половина зарубежных сериалов на «Амедиатеке» подверглась цензуре. Из них вырезали более 75 часов контента — «Медиазона»
Earlier coverage
- Oct 26, 2026, 11:00 AM UTCRussian streaming service cuts 75 hours of content amid state censorship
- Oct 24, 2026, 10:30 PM UTCRussian censorship tightens across streaming, publishing, and schools
- Oct 23, 2026, 11:00 PM UTCRussia deepens content censorship across streaming media, literature, and schools
- Oct 23, 2026, 07:00 PM UTCRussian media, courts, and schools step up censorship and state messaging
- Oct 23, 2026, 05:00 PM UTCRussian platforms, courts, and schools increase censorship and patriotic messaging
- Oct 23, 2026, 11:00 AM UTCRussian media and schools alter content amid strict censorship laws
- Oct 23, 2026, 01:00 AM UTCRussian streaming platforms, courts, and schools enforce strict state censorship rules
- Oct 22, 2026, 07:30 PM UTCRussian streaming platforms, publishers, and schools face tighter ideological controls
- Oct 22, 2026, 07:00 PM UTCRussian media platform censors foreign series amid broader ideological push
- Oct 22, 2026, 11:00 AM UTCRussian censorship targets streaming content, books, and school curricula