Russian media platform censors foreign series amid broader ideological push
An investigation shows Russian streaming service Amediateka cut 75 hours of footage, alongside new book bans and school propaganda pushing state ideology.
Russian streaming platform Amediateka has removed over 75 hours of footage from roughly 200 foreign television shows to comply with domestic censorship laws, according to an investigation by Mediazona. The cuts, comprising more than 7,300 individual scenes, targeted depictions of LGBT topics, substance use, incest, and suicide, frequently altering major plotlines.
Concurrently, a Russian court banned the sports novel "Heated Rivalry" over alleged LGBT propaganda. Meanwhile, new patriotic educational materials introduced in Russian schools frame military action in Ukraine as honorable while criticizing Western cultural norms.
These measures reflect an expanding government initiative to enforce ideological controls across digital media, 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, 11:00 AM UTCRussian censorship targets streaming content, books, and school curricula
- 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