Russian censorship expands across streaming services, publishing, and schools

An investigation by Mediazona revealed that Russian streaming platform Amediateka has censored nearly half of its foreign television series to comply with domestic content restrictions. The study documented over 7,300 cut scenes totaling more than 75 hours of removed footage across approximately 200 shows. Excerpted topics included depictions of non-traditional relationships, substance use, suicide, and incest, in some instances removing major narrative arcs.

In related developments, a Russian court banned the romance novel Heated Rivalry, about a relationship between two male hockey players, citing laws prohibiting LGBT propaganda. Meanwhile, educational materials distributed to secondary schools in Novosibirsk promoted military service in Ukraine as an honorable duty while framing Western cultural influences negatively and equating homosexuality with pedophilia.

Sources: Mediazona, NEXTA, The Insider, Verstka.