By The Moscow Times | Created at 2026-09-28 15:00:16 | Updated at 2026-09-28 15:49:00
55 minutes ago
The book publisher Individuum has announced its closure following the criminal prosecution of its senior managers on so-called LGBTQ+ “extremism” charges.
“The publishing house Individuum, which was founded in 2015, will cease to exist 11 years later,” editor-in-chief Alexei Kiselyov said in a statement on Monday. He did not explain the reasons behind the decision, describing the closure as “sudden, but not unexpected.”
Kiselyov said the books Individuum has been working on in recent months will be released through other publishers.
Individuum’s closure follows that of its former young-adult imprint Popcorn Books, which was shut down by Russia’s largest book publisher Eksmo in January.
Eksmo had acquired majority stakes in Popcorn Books and Individuum in 2023. Several Eksmo employees were arrested over alleged LGBTQ+ “propaganda” and “extremism” in May 2025, after which Eksmo appeared to distance itself from the imprints.
Three senior Individuum and Popcorn Books employees were sentenced to four-year suspended sentences this summer after being found guilty of LGBTQ+ “extremism.”
The charges stem from Russia’s ban on the so-called “international LGBT movement” as an extremist organization.
Earlier this month, Russia's Justice Ministry designated former Individuum editor-in-chief Felix Sandalov as a “foreign agent.”
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