Russia's 'Foreign Agent' Law: Bookstores Labeling Books Under New Restrictions

New Law Targets 'Foreign Agents'

• 🇷🇺 A new law in Russia, effective this month, requires books by individuals designated as 'foreign agents' by the Kremlin to be labeled.
• 🎯 The law prohibits these individuals from engaging in educational activities or producing information products for minors.
• 📚 While books themselves are not outright banned, the broad wording could apply to them, creating legal ambiguity for booksellers.

Bookstore Compliance and Challenges

• 🛍️ In St. Petersburg, booksellers are painstakingly applying warning labels that read, "This material has been produced by a foreign agent or concerns the activity of a foreign agent."
• 🏷️ These labeled books are then sealed in clear plastic wrap to ensure customers are aware of their origin.
• ⚠️ Store managers describe the legal situation as having "unpredictable traps," with businesses playing it safe to avoid unscheduled inspections.
• ⏱️ One store dedicates significant employee shifts to the labeling and wrapping process to comply with the new regulations.

Impact on Dissent and Public Opinion

• ✍️ The 'foreign agent' list includes prominent writers like novelist Dmitri Gluhovski, who was sentenced for spreading false information.
• 🗣️ Gluhovski states the move is part of a campaign to silence dissent, isolate critics of the war or government policies, and turn them into pariahs.
• ❓ The Russian Book Union has warned booksellers of high risks and potential inspections related to books by foreign agents.

Customer Reactions

• 😕 Some customers, like Mikail, express unhappiness with the prohibitive measures.
• 🧐 Others, like Arena, view censorship as a historical norm, believing that "a book will always find its reader" regardless of restrictions.