December 17, 2024

"Too Pro-War" Library Closes


"Too Pro-War" Library Closes
Books in Russian about politics. Flbpub, Wikimedia Commons.

On December 14, a St. Petersburg bookshop known for hosting pro-war "correspondents" and critics of the Kremlin's handling of its invasion of Ukraine announced on Telegram that it would close its doors "indefinitely." The owners said the reason for their closing was that "the end of the world is near."

St. Petersburg's Listva (Foliage) was a hotspot for pro-war journalists, authors, and Donbas separatists, often hosting talks. In July 2023, police evacuated the bookstore right before the former self-proclaimed "People's Governor" of Donbas and pro-war activist Igor Strelkov (the alias of Igor Girkin) was scheduled to speak. After Strelkov was arrested for his criticism of Russia's "lack of full commitment" in its war on Ukraine, his wife, Miroslava Reginskaya, held meetings with his allies at Listva.

The bookstore also feuded with other shops and libraries in the city. In 2019, Vse Svobodny (All are Free), another St. Petersburg bookshop, launched a map of independent libraries. Listva was included in the list but accidentally disappeared. Its owners took to Telegram to confront Vse Svobodny, asking its representatives to say who they believed owned Crimea.

Listva posted, "As experienced scribes, we know the secrets of ancient prophecies and have the right to say: the end of the wolrd is near." The bookshop said they would be "the first to leave this world" amidst the planet falling in the hands of an "unknown but unyielding power." The statement added that part of Listva's team would go to a "nuclear-proof bunker" in occupied Donetsk, while the others would go into seclusion.

Listva is owned by Chertnaya Sotnya (The Black Hundred), a publishing house popular with the far right that supports the war in Ukraine. The store is owned by Dmitry Bastrakov, whose revenue was three million rubles ($29,021) in 2021. 

The bookstore announced an "end of the world" sale, offering a 20 percent discount on all merchandise. Listva will close on January 1, 2025.

You Might Also Like

Vanished Land
  • November 07, 2024

Vanished Land

A Russian island in the Arctic disappeared from satellite images.
A Pro-War Childhood?
  • October 31, 2024

A Pro-War Childhood?

Russian children are being instilled with militant patriotism through plays, stories, cartoons, and toys.
Facing Up
  • March 26, 2024

Facing Up

"Faces of the Russian Resistance" is a traveling art project that humanizes dissent in Russia.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955