Russian censorship targets streaming content, books, and school curricula
Recent reports detail widespread censorship on Russian streaming platforms, book bans, and new patriotic curriculum guidelines in schools.
An investigation by Mediazona revealed that Russian streaming service Amediateka removed over 75 hours of footage from approximately 200 foreign television series. The cuts targeted depictions of LGBT topics, drug use, and suicide, in some cases significantly altering major plotlines.
In a separate decision, a Russian court banned the sports novel "Heated Rivalry" for allegedly promoting non-traditional sexual relationships, Verstka reported.
Meanwhile, updated educational materials distributed to schools in regions including Novosibirsk promote state-approved patriotic narratives, frame the military conflict in Ukraine as honorable, and criticize Western cultural influences, according to NEXTA.
Together, these developments reflect a broader push by Russian authorities to enforce strict ideological controls across entertainment, publishing, and public education.
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 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, 01:00 AM UTCRussian streaming services, books, and schools face expanding censorship
- Oct 21, 2026, 05:00 PM UTCRussian platforms, publishers, and schools face expanding state censorship