Roskomnadzor Casts Vanishing Spell on Fanfics

On July 12, Roskomnadzor, the federal agency supervising communications in Russia, limited access to the largest Russian-language site for fan fiction, Ficbook. Officials said the website violated "LGBT propaganda" laws.

Fanfics are spin-off texts of famous fiction works, written by amateur writers for other fans. They are published on the internet without the approval or oversight of the publishing industry. The texts' subjects can range from erotica to famous characters' stories infused with fans' personal experiences.

The Russian fanfic platforms such as Ficbook and fanfics.me have amassed millions of passionate readers. Publishers noticed fanfics' popularity, printing works such as Yekaterina Silvanova and Yelena Malisova's "Summer in a Pioneer Tie" and selling over 220,000 copies. 

In December 2022, Russia passed a law banning "LGBT Propaganda." Ficbook announced it would create a separate page for content with same-sex relationships called Slashbook. In November 2023, the Supreme Court banned the "international public movement of LGBT people" and declared queer Russians an "extremist organization."

This year, Roskomnadzor began inspecting the internet for "LGBT content." The government organization investigated the language-learning app Duolingo in April. In May, Roskomnadzor removed the game Romance Club from the App Store and Google Play.

On July 9, Roskomnadzor ordered Ficbook's site Kniga Fanfikov (Book of Fanfics) to remove "information that promoted 'non-traditional sexual relationships.'" The federal agency said the site was moving around LGBT content to other pages instead of deleting the material. Roskomnadzor threatened to block Ficbook on the territory of the Russian Federation. On July 12, the fanfic site was not accessible in Russia.

On July 13, Ficbook launched the campaign #VerniteFicbook (Return Ficbook) on Telegram, asking readers to share videos and texts explaining why the site mattered to them. In its statement, Ficbook wrote, "Fanfiction is not just a hobby, but an important part of life and culture."