Ex-Popcorn Books employee receives suspended sentence in Russia's queer books trial

A Moscow court has handed a former sales director of Russian publisher Popcorn Books a four-year suspended sentence after he struck a plea deal and testified against colleagues. Pavel Ivanov claimed during the trial that he had "fought against this all his life, starting from Soviet times" when he hunted down "perverts" as a Komsomol volunteer. The case, which stems from the publication of LGBT-themed young adult fiction, has sent shockwaves through Russia's publishing industry.

A Moscow district court sentenced Pavel Ivanov, former sales director of Russian young adult publisher Popcorn Books, to four years' imprisonment suspended on June 25, 2026, after he entered a plea deal and provided testimony against fellow defendants in one of Russia's most closely watched publishing prosecutions.

The charges and background

Ivanov was detained in May 2025 alongside two other Popcorn Books employees, executive director Dmitry Protopopov and warehouse and distribution manager Artyom Vakhlayev. All three were charged with involvement in the activities of an "extremist organisation," a designation Russian authorities applied to the LGBT movement in 2023. The trigger for the criminal case was the distribution of books prosecutors classified as LGBT literature, including the popular young adult novel Summer in a Pioneer Tie by Elena Malisova and Katerina Silvanova, as well as Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman and The King's Men by Nora Sakavic.

The trio spent nearly a year under house arrest before the measure was eased to a ban on certain activities. Ivanov's trial, held at the Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow, was completed in a single day.

Testimony and the Eksmo connection

In court, Ivanov described working at Popcorn Books since 2016 under editor-in-chief Satenik Anastasyan, whom he characterised as a "convinced feminist" who sought out "provocative topics for publication." He testified that even before Vladimir Putin signed Russia's expanded LGBT "propaganda" ban in December 2022, he had warned colleagues that the forthcoming legislation would render the entire Popcorn Books catalogue unlawful.

According to Ivanov, management pressed on regardless. He told the court that in late 2022, Eksmo CEO Yevgeny Kapyev, the parent holding company's top executive, asked him when Popcorn Books would finish selling its print run of a banned title. «I said the book was banned from sale. Kapyev replied that we should look to Kazakhstan, where LGBT content is not banned and any product can be sold,» Ivanov stated. From January 2023, Popcorn Books titles reportedly began selling in Kazakhstan, with Ivanov alleging they then filtered back onto Russian online marketplaces.

«Commercial interest was front and centre. Their goal was to make as much money as possible. The aim of educating citizens had long since ceased to exist for them,» Ivanov told the court.

"I caught perverts in the Komsomol"

In his closing remarks, Ivanov delivered a statement that drew widespread attention. He expressed remorse but framed it in ideological terms: «I repent of what I did. It is a great shame for me. I have fought against this all my life, starting from Soviet times, when as part of a Komsomol unit I caught perverts.»

He further stated that he had always supported Putin, participated in religious processions, and had wanted to serve at the front in Ukraine but could not pass a medical commission after suffering a heart attack. He promised to erase "this black stain" from his biography. In his final address, Ivanov volunteered to help investigators track down other defendants in the case, noting that «some of them are not yet convicted and are hiding abroad.»

Wider implications for Russian publishing

Ivanov was sentenced to four years suspended, short of the maximum penalties of six and eight years respectively on the two counts he faced. The cases against Protopopov and Vakhlayev have not yet come to trial.

The Popcorn Books prosecution is part of a broader crackdown that has transformed Russia's book market. The parent company Eksmo has also come under scrutiny: media reports indicate that its CEO Kapyev was detained for questioning. The case is seen as a watershed moment that has driven publishers, editors, and authors to self-censor or leave Russia entirely.