Russian streaming platform censors foreign shows amid broader cultural crackdown

Russian streaming platform Amediateka has censored nearly half of its foreign television series to comply with domestic regulations, according to an investigation by Mediazona. Censors removed over 7,300 scenes totaling more than 75 hours of footage across roughly 200 shows. Excluded content includes depictions of non-traditional sexual relations, substance abuse, self-harm, and incest, occasionally eliminating primary plotlines from series such as Game of Thrones.

The findings coincide with intensified state measures against Western cultural influences and LGBT themes. A Russian court recently banned the romance novel Heated Rivalry under anti-LGBT propaganda laws. Furthermore, secondary schools in Novosibirsk received new educational materials that promote military involvement in Ukraine, criticize Western culture, and draw explicit parallels between homosexuality and criminal deviance.

Sources: Mediazona, NEXTA, The Insider, Verstka.