Russian streaming service cuts 75 hours of content amid state censorship
An investigation shows Russian streaming platform Amediateka cut 75 hours of series content, alongside new bans on books and updated patriotic school curricula.
Russian streaming service Amediateka cut over 75 hours of footage from approximately 200 foreign series, according to an investigation by Mediazona reported by The Insider. Censorship excised more than 7,300 scenes containing depictions of LGBT topics, substance use, suicide, and incest, at times disrupting core narrative arcs.
Separately, independent outlet Verstka reported that a Russian court officially banned the romance novel Heated Rivalry. The court ruled that the book, which centers on two male hockey players, violated domestic prohibitions against promoting non-traditional sexual relationships.
Meanwhile, NEXTA highlighted new educational materials distributed in Novosibirsk schools. The updated curriculum presents military service and sacrifice as national duties while condemning Western influence 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 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
- Oct 22, 2026, 01:00 AM UTCRussian streaming services, books, and schools face expanding censorship