By Olha Chepil | 2025-09-16

In Russia, a scientist can publish a book one day and find it pulled from shelves the next. A lecturer can prepare a course only to learn she is banned from speaking at all. Under sweeping new amendments, anyone labeled a "foreign agent," from novelists to professors, is now barred from teaching, giving lectures or publishing their work.

The restrictions, which took effect September 1, strike at education and culture, areas once considered beyond the reach of the law. The Kremlin first introduced the "foreign agent" label in 2012, applying it to individuals and organizations that receive any foreign funding and are deemed to engage in vaguely defined "political activity." In practice, the designation has been widely used against journalists, writers, scientists and civic groups critical of the government.

"The amendments apply to all individuals and organizations that are recognized as 'foreign agents.' There are already more than one thousand of them in total," Dmitry Anisimov, a spokesperson for the rights group OVD-Info, told Kontur.

'Illegal' activities

Russia has barred the so-called "foreign agents" from all educational activity, extending earlier restrictions that mostly targeted work with minors. The new rules prohibit teaching, organizing courses, obtaining licenses or receiving municipal support, effectively pushing them out of the field.

"This bill is about not only books, but also online courses, podcasts, videos, lectures, webinars and so on -- anything that can be considered education," Anisimov explained.

"Foreign agents" can no longer teach, lecture, or participate in conferences, including online formats. Experts warn the bans restrict free speech and further isolate Russia from global scientific and cultural exchange.

Although no cases have been reported yet, violators could face fines up to 500,000 RUB (about $6,000), with repeat offenses leading to criminal charges, Anisimov noted. In practice, those remaining in Russia must abandon public activity.

"We do not intend to limit our work in any way. We believe the 'foreign agent' legislation to be repressive and discriminatory, so we do not pay attention to these and other restrictions," said Anisimov.

Books are off the shelves

The amendments also target publishers. The Russian Book Union warned that selling books by "foreign agents" could bring fines and loss of benefits such as leases and access to schools and libraries. Major chains have already pulled the titles.

"We see that in the summer, books by 'foreign agents' were sold at big discounts, and educational platforms removed 'foreign agents'' content," said Anisimov.

Prominent authors affected include Boris Akunin, Anton Dolin, Alexander Etkind, Dmitry Glukhovsky and Lyudmila Ulitskaya. The bans extend beyond their works to include books they translated or reviewed.

"This should be seen as a piece of a general policy. Because the authorities suppress any free speech. Whether it is on the radio or in publishing houses," writer Ulitskaya said during a May interview with Drama Queens on YouTube. She left Russia for Germany in 2022 after opposing the invasion of Ukraine.

The crackdown escalated September 3, when Rosfinmonitoring, Russia's financial intelligence agency that also maintains the state list of "extremists and terrorists," added Artem Vakhlyaev, Dmitry Protopopov and Pavel Ivanov -- employees of the independent publishers Individuum and Popcorn Books.

They were accused of distributing literature that allegedly promoted "LGBT ideology" and have been under house arrest since May. The case signaled that even major publishers risk criminal prosecution.

Writer and science popularizer Asya Kazantseva told Kontur the new laws are intentionally vague.

"Nobody knows how to comply with them and what will happen if [the laws] are not obeyed. People embrace or do not embrace self-censorship at their own risk," she said.

According to Kazantseva, "foreign agent" books have already disappeared from large chains.

"By September 1, they stopped selling all books by 'foreign agents,' but for now [the books] can still be purchased on Ozon or small marketplaces," said Kazantseva.

"This will cause publishers to lose commercial interest in books by 'foreign agents.' Print runs will not be bought up. There will be no new reprints."

Authors say Russian-language bookstores in Europe and the United States are becoming their only market.

"I have four bestsellers, and they used to be reprinted regularly. Now reprints in Russia are unlikely to happen. The publisher plans to sell the remaining books to Russian-language bookstores in other countries, since [such stores] have opened in almost every major city in the world," said Kazantseva.

Return to self-publishing

Kazantseva said she faced direct pressure when her lectures were canceled "due to calls from above," and state television branded her a "traitor to the Motherland." She later emigrated to Georgia.

She described the "foreign agent" label as civil death, noting it blocks people from teaching, publishing, earning royalties or even freely using their property -- restrictions that almost always force emigration.

"In most cases, 'foreign agent' status is pinned on those who have publicly spoken out against Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine," Kazantseva noted.

Today, education in Russia is moving underground. Lectures are held in secret, books are bought "for future use" and passed hand to hand, increasingly reminiscent of Soviet-era samizdat, the clandestine circulation of banned literature.

"It's all like in the Soviet Union, you know? In other words, there is some covert self-publishing. There are certain black markets where books are sold," said Kazantseva.

The new amendments push Russia back to a time when books and lectures were not just educational tools but acts of civil disobedience.

"It is difficult to destroy everything living, but it has been successfully driven underground, where it sits and waits for the opportunity to raise its head," said Kazantseva.