The general director of the Eksmo publishing house, Evgeniy Kapyev, was detained in Moscow, a source in law enforcement agencies told Kommersant. He is being interrogated in a criminal case about organizing the activities of an extremist organization (Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code). After the interrogation, his procedural status will be determined, the source said. Searches are being carried out at the publishing house’s office.
How reported Izvestia newspaper, the investigation is now identifying the circle of people in Eksmo who developed “a scheme for distributing LGBT literature among minors.” The “International LGBT Movement” was recognized as extremist in Russia in November 2023 and banned. We are talking about selling the novels “Summer in a Pioneer Tie” and “What the Swallow is Silent About.”
As follows from the Izvestia material, the criminal case contains information that in 2018, the publishing houses Popcorn Books and Individuum, part of Eksmo, “received investment support from the Irish book service and began to promote LGBT literature aimed at teenage audiences” (“The International LGBT Movement” is recognized as extremist and banned).
Publishing house Individuum was founded in 2015. Popcorn Books is a spin-off from Individuum that launched in 2018. The project specialized in youth literature. This publishing house published “Summer in a Pioneer Tie” and “What the Swallow is Silent About.” Popcorn Books went out of business in 2026.
May 15, 2025 press service of the Investigative Committee of Russia reportedthat the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee for Moscow is investigating a criminal case on organizing the activities of an extremist organization (Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code). According to the investigation, from November 2023 to September 2024, three Individuum employees organized the sale to minors of more than 1 thousand books “promoting the activities of the LGBT movement” (recognized as extremist and prohibited).
During the investigation of the criminal case, Eksmo distribution director Anatoly Norovyatkin was detained, but released after interrogation. In this case, the head of Individuum and Popcorn Books Dmitry Protopopov, former sales director of Individuum Pavel Ivanov and warehouse manager Artem Vakhlyaev are under house arrest.
